February 24, 2025

Week 8: Jesus is the Messiah | Pray Through the Gospel of Mark

WEEK 8 – Jesus is the Messiah  

For the next 10 minutes or so, we are going to turn our attention to God in prayer. He desires to meet with us today. To talk to us. To share His heart with us. Take a few deep breaths and say the following prayer:   

God, You are here, now. And I am loved by You.   

 Now take a moment and pray this simple prayer declaring who Jesus is that can be said in the span of a breath.  

Jesus, Messiah. My Lord and My God.  

 As I read the following passage from Mark listen with the expectation that God is moving towards you, to speak to you, through these Spirit-inspired words today.   

27 Jesus went out with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. And on the road he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” 

28 They answered him, “John the Baptist; others, Elijah; still others, one of the prophets.” 

29 “But you,” he asked them, “who do you say that I am?” 

Peter answered him, “You are the Messiah.” 30 And he strictly warned them to tell no one about him. 

31 Then he began to teach them that it was necessary for the Son of Man to suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, be killed, and rise after three days. 32 He spoke openly about this. Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33 But turning around and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! You are not thinking about God’s concerns but human concerns.” 

Peter is the first to declare that Jesus is the Messiah, the one they have been waiting for, the one who would redeem and restore. Imagine holding this history-shaping promise in your heart and then seeing the embodiment of the promise standing in front of you.

The boldness Peter has to go first and be right is the same boldness he has when he gets it wrong. Jesus affirms him and seemingly moments later corrects him. His ideas of who the Messiah would be are merely human. They have to be corrected by the Messiah Himself.  

We can recognize that Jesus is Lord and Savior and still have ideas about the way Jesus works that are short-sighted.

We all want the abundant life that He offers but we don’t want it to mean we give up our vision of what success looks like. But what He modeled, and what He calls us to is sacrifice and surrender, grace and truth, integrity and community.  

How can we know if our preferences for comfort, success, or control are getting in the way of the Lordship of Jesus? Do we get angry or defensive when we are confronted? Do we use Jesus or religion to make excuses for our behavior? Do we retreat or hide from being deeply known?  

If Jesus is Messiah when is the last time He confronted and corrected your view of Him?

When is the last time He challenged your idea of the way He should work? When is the last time you’ve bowed your knee to Him in surrender and trust, saying “Your way, not mine. Your will be done.”?  

Maybe you’re feeling anxious because full surrender to His ways means opening your life up to Him in a way that you haven’t before. He is patient and His way is better and even when it means death to our comfort or vision of success, there is always a resurrection on the other side of surrender that is so much better, there is a hope that will not put us to shame, we will not be disappointed with the end result. The story Jesus is telling is so much bigger than our human concerns.  

Let’s pray.

In the space between each line pray in your own words or sit quietly and listen for the still small voice of the Spirit. 

Jesus, You are the ruling and reigning King and You are coming to make all things new. 

You see so much more than I do. You know the end of this story.  

 You sent Your Spirit to remind me that I have a glorious future and promised inheritance that far exceeds my wildest expectations.  

 I bow my knee to You in surrender, My Lord and My God.  

Have Your way in my life.  

I know that means trusting You with my future, my plans, my hopes and my fears. I invite You to search me and know me.  

Lead me in the way everlasting.  

I trust You.  

 Hear the Word of the Lord:  

 Psalm 139:23&24 

Search me, God, and know my heart;
test me and know my concerns.
24 See if there is any offensive way in me;
lead me in the everlasting way. 

Amen.