A Daily Word from the Word for Friday, February 1, 2013
“And when He [Jesus] had sent them away, He departed to the mountain to pray.” – Mark 6:46
This message serves as the conclusion to yesterday’s Daily Word.
When Jesus “departed” to the mountain, He aperchhomai (pr. ap-erkh-om-ahee) which is “to literally or figuratively depart” (Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance). Whenever a Greek word ends in “ai” (pr. ahee), it is progressive, which means that it is done repeatedly, and is continually in motion. Notice that yesterday’s Greek origin for both “sent” and “away” is also progressive, as is the word for “pray,” which is proseuchomai (pr. pros-yoo-khom-ahee).
Therefore, prayer should be a continuous act in our lives, which we should constantly keep in motion. We must regularly, persistently, and relentlessly work at guarding our prayer life, by not allowing people and things, including distractions, to interfere with this most sacred and mountain-moving event between our Father and us.
Jesus did not just go “to” the mountain; He went “in” the mountain. The word for “to” as used in this verse is eis (pr. eis) and means “in, the point reached or entered; of place, time, or purpose.” Jesus departed both literally and figuratively to enter in to that place, time, and purpose created by prayer.
We too, must depart, not only physically but also spiritually, and prepare ourselves, ready ourselves, to make contact with our Most Holy God using this awesome gift of prayer that our Father gave to us through His beloved Son. Prayer is an attitude as much as it is an act. Prayer is formed by praise, worship, and supplication. The act of supplication is humbling yourself, submitting your entire being to the Father because you truly and earnestly seek Him, hunger for Him, and desire to have an intimate moment and an intimate relationship with your Creator.
The Apostle Peter instructs us to “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty Hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time” (1 Peter 5:6). When is our due time? In the realm of the spirit, it is every time we come to the Father in a position of supplication. When we bow before the throne of God, we lift Him up High. And because we honor the King of kings and the Lord of lords; He in turn honors us by giving us our mountain, our high place, in which we get to see the Hand of God at work in us and in our lives.
Father, thank You for the privilege of coming to You boldly yet humbly, and lifting You high. Help us to enter in to this most holy place through your gift of prayer. Do a work in us, in our spirits, so that we reverence prayer the way You have intended us and called us to. Help us to be mindful of always having the right attitude toward prayer, and being in the proper place and position. In Jesus Name, we thank you for the amazing work you are doing in us at this very moment. Amen and Amen.
Take action! Challenge your thinking! Choose to be in your prayerful place and position each day. Choose to depart to and in your mountain, your high place, where you touch God Himself because you enter in to that most holy place through prayer, praise, worship, and supplication. And continue to fight the good fight of continuously guarding your prayer life; for God, your Ultimate Prayer, has already given you the victory!
God tells us that we are blessed to be a blessing (Genesis 12:2). Be a blessing to someone by sending them this word of encouragement. If God did not already put someone in your spirit and on your heart that needs to read this uplifting message from above, simply ask your Heavenly Father who to bless on today. Forward this message right now by email, facebook, or twitter.
May God Bless you and keep you always.
With warmest regards,
And, in service of The Most High King,
Matthew
Matthew.Gargano@HMDMinistries.com
© 2013.
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Matthew is founder of HMD Ministries, and sits under the leadership of Apostle Dr. Don Lyon of Faith Center Ministries International in Rockford, Illinois, where he serves as an associate pastor.
All references to Hebrew and Greek words and meanings, unless otherwise noted, are taken from the New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance © 1990 by Thomas Nelson Publishing. All dictionary references are taken from the Merriam-Webster online dictionary © 2013, unless otherwise noted.
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