Luke 4:42-44 Alone in a Desolate Place
Format for Your Devotions
Instructions: Do not read my example devotion until you have completed your own devotional time in the scriptures. Reading my thoughts first may limit your own understanding. Let the Holy Spirit speak to you alone before looking to see what anyone else has to say, whether it is me, a Bible commentary, or a friend. Let God speak to you before you let another person speak to you. I have provided a format, but modify it to fit your needs. For example, I usually combine my application and prayer together talking to God about the application to my own life. You can go through this devotion process mentally, speaking out loud, or in writing as you wish. Don’t worry if you are not following this process exactly. Sometimes, I add extra information and sometimes I emphasize one part more than others. However, you should always think about what you learn about God from this passage.
Step 1: Pray–Ask for the Holy Spirit’s guidance first of all and that God may reveal the lessons that He wants you to have that day. Request that God protect you from Satan’s distractions (and the devil will try to distract you whether it is pinching the baby or putting you to sleep). Ask to see God more clearly as you read and think about the passage.
Step 2: Read the passage–Read to get an overview of the information first. Then start looking at specific parts after the first reading. You may read a larger or smaller section than I have here because you do not have to follow my organization at all.
Step 3: Understand the passage–You can summarize, ask and answer your own questions about the passage, visualize the story, analyze the characters, and relate this passage to other scriptures and personal experiences.
Step 4: What does this reveal about God?–What do you learn about the Father, Son, and/or Holy Spirit from this passage?
Step 5: Apply this to your own life.
Step 6: Prayer
My Example Devotion: July 5, 2018 Luke 4:42-44
Note: In the devotion examples, I leave my questions and thought processes in the text because I am trying to demonstrate that a devotional time is a dialogue with God about what you are reading from His word. As such, any questions or ideas that you have should be explored by talking it out with God. These example devotions are not my attempts to teach you what the meaning of a particular scripture is. They are an attempt to teach you the process of devotions, which is a combination of prayer and Bible study where you explore ideas with God as you read His word.
And when it was day, he departed and went into a desolate place. And the people sought him and came to him, and would have kept him from leaving them, but he said to them, “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose.” And he was preaching in the synagogues of Judea.
(Understanding the Text) I wonder if this is the same situation mentioned in Mark? “And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed. And Simon and those who were with him searched for him, and they found him and said to him, ‘Everyone is looking for you.’ And he said to them, ‘Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out.’ And he went throughout all Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out demons” (Mark 1:35-39). That was right after the healing of Peter’s mother-in-law, so I am sure it is. When putting the two passages together it brings a fuller picture.
Jesus had spent the Sabbath day before in the synagogue and then in Peter’s house. As soon as the sun had gone down, a large crowd of people had converged on the house with their sick and demon-possessed. Jesus had healed them all and cast out the demons who tried to announce who Jesus was. He probably did not go to sleep until late that night. He slept only a few hours before waking up early while it was still dark and going out to a natural area away from civilization to pray. The Cambridge commentary says “Densely as the district was populated, such a place might be found in such hill ravines as the Vale of Doves at no great distance.” It’s interesting that Luke who talks so much about prayer does not mention that Jesus’ purpose in going to the desolate place was to pray.
Simon and the disciples woke up to find Jesus gone and went looking for him. Other people came to find Jesus also. Maybe, they joined the disciples as they searched, or maybe these were independent searchers. Peter was with the group that found Jesus, but word spread and a crowd soon formed. When the first group reached Jesus, Peter told Jesus that everyone had been looking for Him. Jesus did not respond but instead said that it was time to leave Capernaum and preach in the neighboring towns because that fulfilled Jesus’ purpose. When the rest of the crowd arrived and heard that Jesus was leaving, they tried to talk Him into staying. I’m sure most were sincere in wanting this beloved Rabbi to stay, but for some it was simply nice to have a healer living right next door.
(Revelation of God) Guzik’s commentary gave me an interesting thought. “Jesus saw His main ministry, at this point, to be preaching the kingdom. Miracles were a part, but not the main focus of His ministry.” A lot of times I emphasize that Jesus did more miracles in the gospels than preaching, but I need to always keep in my sight that those miracles served a purpose. Jesus came to this earth to show us the kingdom of God and the Father’s character. Everything that He did in His ministry was to show humans a different way of life that is the norm in the rest of the universe. Jesus became man so that we could more clearly see His character (the character of God) and to counteract the false images of God that Satan is always spreading. Whether Jesus was preaching a sermon, telling a story, healing, or casting out demons, He was always aware of His purpose of teaching us to be part of the kingdom of heaven. He wanted to lift our eyes and hearts away from this world and raise them up to God. He wanted to rejoin us to the kingdom that we had once been part of, that we were created to inherit.
(Understanding the Text) In Mark, the very next thing which happens was to preach, heal, and cast out demons throughout Galilee. Luke, on the other hand, says that Jesus was preaching in the synagogues of Judea. At first, I thought that Luke was skipping over the Galilean ministry and jumping to the Judean ministry, but the very next verse talks about an incident on the Lake of Galilee, so I’m not sure what’s going on. The SDA commentary says “Luke seems to have used the term ‘Judaea’ as equivalent to ‘Palestine.’ Since Luke wrote primarily for non-Palestinian Gentiles, he may have considered the term ‘Judaea’ more meaningful to them and sufficiently accurate for his purposes (see p. 664).”
(Application / Prayer) Jesus remained true to the purpose that He was sent to fulfill. I need to remain true to my purpose also. I need to evaluate my situation periodically and see if I am still fulfilling the purpose that God called me to. I need to live a life driven by God’s principles and purposes, not my own selfish needs of the moment. Then, I will have true satisfaction that lasts and the peace of knowing that my life has meaning. Jesus prayed to His Father when making decisions about changes in His life. I need to follow His example and pray. I need to go to desolate places at times to commune with God just as Jesus did. Some people can truly connect with God inside their closed room, but for me, I need the open outdoors. If I’m ever in a crowded situation like Jesus was in His ministry, I will need to set aside private time to be alone with You. Help me to remember to make the time to be with You. Give me the opportunities to be with You in the ways that are most conducive to communication, and give me the knowledge that You are there with me.