WEEK 7: MONDAY OCTOBER 26
SILENCE, STILLNESS, AND CENTERING BEFORE GOD:
As you begin to spend time with God, settle yourself somewhere quiet and comfortable. Take a few deep breaths. Spend a few minutes in silence, becoming aware of God’s presence with you and in you.
READ:
Let your mind settle. Silently read the Scripture for this week: Mark 8.
ASK:
Read the Scripture again, this time aloud. Listen for a word, phrase, or section that grabs your attention. Write down any questions about the passage that you have. When you finish, close your eyes. Recall the word or phrase, taking it in and mulling it over. Write down what comes to mind.
REFLECT:
Mark tells us the story of the Pharisees asking for signs from Jesus, wanting Him to prove His power. However, they did not want Jesus’ kingdom and vision for life. Instead, they wanted Jesus to bring about their vision of life and their kingdom. How often do we do this same thing – wanting God to be God, with all His power and wisdom, but with the goal of getting what we want?
Jesus is a great teacher, and because He wants his disciples to grasp what He is doing on earth, He does not always directly answer them. He wants the disciples to see and understand for themselves. Does this perplex you about Jesus? Does Jesus ever teach you that way? Mark follows up this episode with a story about Jesus restoring a blind man’s sight. What is Mark trying to get the reader to understand about the connection between Jesus’ kingdom and seeing?
Jesus starts predicting His death and the disciples—especially Peter—rebuke Jesus. They did not understand yet. Jesus then invites them to follow Him again, this time inviting them to deny themselves and to lose their lives that they may find life. Jesus is bringing a radically new vision of life. Jesus is inviting you, maybe again, into his vision and kingdom. Spend time talking with the Holy Spirit about what aspect of the kingdom of God you are being invited into right now.
PRAY:
Read the Scripture one last time, then stop and listen for who Jesus is inviting you to become or what He is inviting you to do this week. Write down what comes to mind.
Talk with Jesus about it.
PRACTICE:
For our practice this week as a community, we want to invite you to fast. The heart of fasting is to let go of an appetite in order to seek God on matters of deep concern for others, myself, or the world. It is the self-denial of normal necessities in order to intentionally attend to God in prayer. Bringing attachments and cravings to the surface opens a place for prayer. This physical awareness of emptiness is the reminder to turn to Jesus who alone can satisfy. The times we fast can be some of the most intimate and purifying moments with Jesus. Here are some practical ways to do this:
Fasting involves abstaining from something and using that time, attention, and energy on dedicated time with God.
You can also fast social media, texting, forms of entertainment, or really anything that is a temptation to idolize.
In the time you would usually spend with the thing you are fasting; spend time in prayer. For example, if you are fasting lunch, use the time that you would normally eat to pray, or if you are fasting your phone, leave your phone off at home and instead habitually read Scripture or pray as you walk around rather than texting.
As you fast on the day you decide, each time you feel a hunger pain or think about food or take a lunch break (with no lunch!), use it as a prompt for prayer.
Turn your heart to God and ask him to starve your flesh and feed your Spirit. Use your imagination to “see” yourself drawing strength from God himself.
Sometimes God speaks to us in the midst of our fast. Make sure that, whether you were certain it was God or not, you write down what you hear. Spend time reflecting on these things: Is what I heard something I can find in the Bible? Does it contradict something in the Bible? (Note: God will never say something to you that contradicts what he has already spoken in the Bible.)
Fasting is something you need to prepare for mentally and spiritually, asking God to give you the strength and wisdom to do so.
In Matthew 6:16-18, we are advised to not boast about our choice to fast because it is intimate between you and God, and ‘your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you’ (Matt 6:18).