Day 3 | Dismiss The Crowd
Matthew 14:22-23 (NIV)
22 Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. 23 After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone
OBSERVATION
Dismissing the crowd can be one of the most difficult yet most rewarding things you can learn to do in life. Our life is full of distractions. There is always something pulling for our time and attention. Notifications, updates, alerts, on and on and on they go. Every single one of us have things in our lives that are constantly battling for our attention. Jesus was the same. I love the practicality that we see in this passage. Jesus “dismissed the crowd” goes up on a mountain by “himself” to pray. Jesus knew that he needed “quiet time” or “alone time” with God. FREE from distractions. FREE from notifications. FREE from the noise and the chaos of the world. This is what a devotional time looks like. A time where you “dismiss” everything else and you place all of your focus on God. Whether you are reading scripture, praying, worshiping, journaling or simply sitting in solitude - the focus is just you and God.
APPLICATION
Do you have the habit of a devotional time with God establish in your personal life? What are some practical things that you can do to “dismiss” the distraction in your life in order to develop a healthy devotional time with God?
PRAYER
Dear God I ask today that you would help me learn how to dismiss the crowd. Help me learn how to set aside all of life’s distractions and focus on my personal one on one time with you. I ask that as I learn to do this, that you will meet me during those times in a very special way. In Jesus name I pray, amen.