Down on your knees, that is.

Any time there’s a “but” in a great story, I try to pay attention. Often the real point, or rest of the story, or the story behind the story, is found in the part after the “but”.

Here’s an example of what I am talking about:

Yet despite Jesus’s instructions, the report of his power spread even faster, and vast crowds came to hear him preach and to be healed of their diseases. But Jesus often withdrew to the wilderness for prayer. (emphasis added)

At the intersection of the contrast is the phrase “But Jesus…”  Just before that phrase, I get the picture of someone with great influence, who has become quite popular and is drawing huge crowds. A celebrity, if you will, in his day.

But Jesus.….appears to not be the least impressed with all that attention, fame and recognition. The vast crowds are not the main thing for him. The popularity, the attention, the celebrity status… simply not it. But Jesus… withdrew to a quiet place and prayed.

There’s the main thing, the story behind the story. That’s the real deal. The relationship that Jesus has with the Father. Its as if the vast crowds and all that came with it are really quite peripheral to the main thing that Jesus was about; his relationship with the Father that he cultivated through prayer. Jesus’s patterns are so counter cultural.  Jesus models that the way up into God’s purposes for our lives is through surrender.  Through humbly falling on our knees in prayer.

If you’re familiar with prayer at all, prayer humbles us, keeps us clear on the need to stay surrendered to a greater overall purpose.  Prayer reminds me that it’s not about me.

In a present day culture that places a huge value on celebrity status and having a following, I am super challenged by what I see here.

Believe me when I tell you that I can be prone to pursuing “the thing”… the thing that will gain status, recognition, a following or leave my mark in the world. Isn’t that  the message we are bombarded with day in and day out? How quickly the main pursuit can become misguided.

The world says go after it, make it happen, make your mark!  But Jesus’s way models to me that whatever comes out my life, in God’s way of things, comes out the pursuit of a relationship with God first.   And whether anything comes comes out of my life or not really isn’t even my deal. That’s God’s business.

I don’t know about you, but that’s kinda nice to know.  It takes the pressure off of me to make something happen on my own. Whatever does come from my life, I want it to be from a place of down on my knees, surrendered in prayer, surrounded by Love.