Begin with 2 minutes of silence and stillness before God.

There are moments in life that will always stick with you. For me, one of those was a time spent at a place affectionately called, “Polly’s.”

I was invited on a random day of the week in high school by a friend to come to Polly’s. A friend of mine told me he was asked to preach, so being a supportive friend, of course, I tagged along. I found it odd that he was going to preach somewhere on a day other than Sunday or Wednesday, but nonetheless, I went. On the way, he told me about where we were going. Though I’m not sure of the exact details, it was a lady’s house that helped men and women who struggled with addiction. Part of her ministry included worship services on Tuesday nights. When we got there, we stepped into an empty banquet hall at this lady’s house. It was silent with old mismatched chairs laid out in rows. I took a seat, not sure what was about to take place. As time moved along, people began to trickle in – people who some might describe as rough around the edges. They all filed in, taking a seat, and catching up with one another. I was uncomfortable at best. When the time came, a young man stood up with just a guitar and a karaoke mic at the front of the room and began to lead everyone in worship. As the first note was struck, tears welled up in my eyes. It was as evident as the screen in front of your face. Jesus was there. His presence was so obvious in the room. This was no longer a room full of individuals who I was honestly uneasy with. It was full of those saved by Christ’s blood crying out in worship to their Savior. People who had hit rock bottom, but Christ reached out His hand and lifted them up. Every time I read Mark 1:21-28, I think of this moment. In those verses, the demons instantly recognized Jesus and His presence. In the same way, I know the demons in these people’s lives did the same. In this passage, Jesus’s simple presence, not an exorcism ritual, caused the demons to be fearful. And Jesus with His authority over them rescued these people, as He rescued the man at the synagogue. I pray I’m always mindful of God’s presence and where He’s working, and I pray that I’m as quick to listen and obey as even the demons do.

Reflections:

• When have you experienced God’s presence?
• What did He teach you at that time?
• How can you carry those lessons into today?

Take 2 minutes to reflect in silence.

Family Application: Mark 1

Author: Anna Overstreet

“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.” Mark 1:35

Are you a morning person? Do you love to wake up before the sun rises? Can you wake up without an alarm, naturally hopping out of bed super early each day? Do you love to think deeply first thing after you have gotten up? Do you thank your parents when they wake you up extra early on school days and for church? I bet there is a small percentage of people reading this that just answered yes to those questions. Most mornings are rough, but even harder when it’s a busy time of the year.

Mark 1 is our reading for today. Every bit of the chapter is full of information that I would ask you to read with your family. You can even use some of our past “Bible Study Tips” from the past few days to examine each section of this chapter. It moves fast and covers a lot of important parts of Jesus’ early ministry. But I want to put our focus on chapter 1 verse 35 today. It always blows my mind that Jesus spent so much time in prayer (and it usually convicts me of how far I have fallen away from my daily quiet times and become very casual about living the life that Jesus modeled for me). He was Jesus, the Son of God, and yet He made time for prayer. If there was ever anyone in the history of the earth who didn’t need to spend time praying, I would think it would be Jesus. Not only did He pray, but He also made time to pray “very early in the morning, while it was still dark.” Y’all, that’s early. Not only did He get up to pray, but He went away to do it! He didn’t roll out of bed and stumble to the nearest couch to pray. He went where there would be no distractions and what I would imagine was a place of solitude. That’s dedication and taking your quiet time very seriously. Use Bible Study Tip #4 for a deeper study of chapter 1 verse 35 of Mark.

Bible Study Tip #4

• Get a parent or older adult to help you find at least three different Bible versions of verse 1:35. Write down the words that differ from your translation of the Bible.
• Talk about the words used to describe Jesus’ morning quiet time.
• How can you apply these verses to your daily quiet time?
• Make a plan with your family to wake up early and spend some time with God in prayer and in His Word daily. Stick with it for a week and see the difference in your life!
• Prayer: God, thank You for modeling for us how to pray and spend the first part of our day with You. It may be hard at times, but help me to never give up meeting with You each day. I want to know You more and what Your plan is for my life. In Jesus’ Name, I pray. Amen.