Motherhood & Ministry

Praying on the Mountain

We return to Mark 6 this week for one last look at this passage. In week one, we considered the disciples’ time in the boat. In week two, we looked at how God orchestrates every detail, down to empty baskets being in the right place, at the right time. This week we conclude by looking at how Jesus concluded this enormous miracle – He sent everyone away and went to the wilderness to be with His Father.

To remember the events leading up to Jesus’ time in the wilderness – He commissioned the 12 to go do ministry in pairs, Mark 6:7-13. They cast out demons, preached repentance, and healed the sick. When they returned to Jesus, they were still so busy they did not have time to eat, Mark 6:30-31. When they tried to get away to the wilderness to rest, they were met with crowds of needy people who Jesus fed miraculously, Mark 6:32-44. 

Hot on the heels of performing miracles themselves, and then witnessing one of Jesus’ largest miracles, Jesus sends the disciples ahead of him in a boat while he heads up the mountain to pray, Mark 6:45-46. 

I cannot truly imagine how Jesus and the disciples felt on that evening – I only know how I feel at the end of VBS Sunday. After months of preparations, a 50-60 hour work week of VBS, hundreds of children reached, dozens of children making professions of faith, whole families hearing the Gospel on Sunday morning – I am completely spent, incredibly grateful for all that God has done, and profoundly in need of rest and rejuvenation! And yet all that, I’m sure, does not hold a candle to what Jesus and the disciples felt after their whirlwind of ministry! 

If Jesus pulled away from everything – even the good thing of teaching and ministering to his closest 12 disciples – to spend focused time in prayer with his Father, how much more do we need intentional time alone with the Father? 

Moms in ministry are pulled in every imaginable direction – from the endless needs of our own kids and families, to the endless needs of ministry to the kids and families at our church. Prioritizing time with Father – even if it means foregoing other good things – is not a luxury, it is a necessity. The perfect, holy Son got away to be one-on-one with the Father. We are not stronger, better equipped, or less in need of prayer than Jesus himself! 

Motherhood & Ministry is a weekly post on Monday mornings to encourage moms who serve in vocational ministry while also serving their families.