Intro: Hello and welcome to Orbit, a short reflection to help you put God at the centre of your life from the team behind Satellites - I'm Martin Saunders. Each weekday we share a little bit of the Bible with you, give you a chance to pray and think about it, and provide you with one practical way to put it into practice today.
Bible: Today's reading is our last one from Mark chapter 1, and it's verses 35-39
Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. Simon and his companions went to look for him, and when they found him, they exclaimed: “Everyone is looking for you!”
Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.” So he traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons.
Thoughts: Jesus did incredible things. All the way through his ministry - from the first day to the last. He travelled all over his country, performing miracles, sharing amazing wisdom and even - as we read here, fighting against demonic monsters. Not surprisingly, he became incredibly famous in his time, with legions of followers who would track him everywhere he went. He was rock star in his time; a massive social influencer. We might picture him wandering around the desert with a few followers - in fact he was constantly pursued by massive crowds.
If Jesus was somehow being interviewed by Oprah at the height of this fame, she'd surely ask him "how do you do it?" She'd want to know how he kept it together; how he handled the pressure; how he managed to keep healing and preaching night after night after night.
The answer is found in the first verse of today's reading. "Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed." The disciples were confused and even a bit frustrated when they found him - like members of a celebrity entourage who'd lost their star just minutes before he was due on stage. But they miss the point: Jesus needs this time in prayer, silence and solitude to make everything work.
Why? Because he draws his strength from time with his Father. His energy, wisdom and miraculous abilities all come from the limitless power of the Holy Spirit. And here's the amazing thing: exactly the same thing is true for us too.
If we want to achieve incredible things, and live life in the fullest way imaginable, then we need to draw our strength from the source of life itself. That's why spending time with God - focussed on him - is the best and most important thing you can do with your day. It doesn't need to be silent - although sometimes silence is good - but it does need to be devoted. And when we spend time with God each day - just as you're doing right now in our time together - the potential opens up for amazing things to happen.
Pray: God I thank you that you love me so much that you want to spend time with me. Help me to devote time to you, and as I draw near to you - please draw near to me too. Fill me with your Spirit today, and enable me to do everything that you're calling me to. Amen
Silence: There's now just a few moments of silence for you to pray, reflect on these ideas, or simply sit and be still.
Action: Every day on Orbit we give you a simple practical challenge to help you put this passage into action in your life. Here's today's:
Now you may not be surprised by this… Spend just a few more minutes today - just you and God. Maybe take yourself somewhere unfamiliar, and put away all distractions. Simply try to focus on him, and don't spend the whole time praying through your own requests. Also leave some time for silence; you might just find that God speaks when you do.
Outro: That's it for today's Orbit. Thanks so much for joining us - we'll be back with another reflection tomorrow.
