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February 03, 2025

Week 5: The Power of Jesus | Pray Through the Gospel of Mark

Welcome to Week 5 of Guided Prayer Through the Gospel of Mark

Note: This prayer meditation is first and foremost designed to be listened to, so we encourage you to listen to the audio as you read along.

TRANSCRIPT:

 

WEEK 5 – The Power of Jesus

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 that can be said in the span of a breath.

I want to know You, Jesus.

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.

35 On that day, when evening had come, he told them, “Let’s cross over to the other side of the sea.” 36 So they left the crowd and took him along since he was in the boat. And other boats were with him. 37 A great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking over the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. 38 He was in the stern, sleeping on the cushion. So they woke him up and said to him, “Teacher! Don’t you care that we’re going to die?”

39 He got up, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Silence! Be still!” The wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 40 Then he said to them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

41 And they were terrified and asked one another, “Who then is this? Even the wind and the sea obey him!”

Starting with this story at the end of chapter 4 we begin to see a theme introduced in the gospel of Mark that we haven’t seen before. In this gospel account we’ve already seen Jesus healing the sick and casting out demons.

But this is the first story where fear is expressed by those who encounter Him.

In chapter 5 Jesus delivers a man plagued by multiple demons who go by “Legion”.

He sends the demons into 2000 pigs that run into the sea and drown. Listen to how people respond: 15 They came to Jesus and saw the man who had been demon-possessed, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. 16 Those who had seen it described to them what had happened to the demon-possessed man and told about the pigs. 17 Then they began to beg him to leave their region.

Later a woman who had been suffering from bleeding for 12 years touches Jesus and is immediately healed. When Jesus asks who it was that touched him it says, “The woman, with fear and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before him, and told him the whole truth. “Daughter,” he said to her, “your faith has saved you. Go in peace and be healed from your affliction.”

The power that Jesus displays evokes fear in all these scenes.

But for the people who witness the man being delivered and the loss of their livestock their fear causes them to ask Jesus to leave. This power is outside of the realm of their understanding and feels way too risky to have around. But for the disciples in the boat and the healed woman, we see fear expressed in awe and reverence. Who is this man who commands winds and waves to be still, and they obey? Who obliterates sickness by simply touching the clothes on His body?

When God’s power is put on display it shatters our preconceived notions. It’s not predictable and He’s not tame. He’s God. And His power will make us want to ask Him to leave or fall down and worship.

For the next few minutes, we are going to pray that Jesus would reveal Himself to us.

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

 

Lord, I come to You now in honor and reverence.

 

Knowing that You are not just powerful, but You are the source of all power.

 

From You, to You, and through You are ALL things.

And I cannot comprehend it with my finite mind.

 

But Your Spirit dwells in me. Showing me things beyond the limits of my comprehension.  

 

Will You reveal Yourself to me?

 

Who You really are? Not just a version of You that’s comfortable or safe.

 

Will you show me Your power?

 

You see and know so much more than I do. And while I want to stay safe or comfortable, You have plans that far surpass my ability to comprehend.

 

You desire to put Your glory on display through my life.

 

Help me to trust You.

 

Hear the Word of the Lord:

EPHESIANS 3:14-21 says,

14 For this reason I kneel before the Father 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named. 16 I pray that he may grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with power in your inner being through his Spirit, 17 and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. I pray that you, being rooted and firmly established in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the length and width, height and depth of God’s love, 19 and to know Christ’s love that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

20 Now to him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us— 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever.

Amen.

 

Check Out Week Six!

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