“They went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” Mark 14:32 NIV
Jesus is the most important bridge. Can you imagine, being with Jesus, and He asks you to “Sit here while I pray?” In essence, that is exactly what Jesus is asking us to do every day. Jesus is the bridge between us and God. He is what connects us to our Creator. Because Jesus is both man and God, we can relate to Him in a way we can’t relate to God alone. The most important bridge is Jesus.
The Old Testament readings that are part of the “Further Reading” section of the daily devotional have been talking about Moses. He led the Israelites out of slavery, then wandered in the dessert with them for 40 years. During that time period, Moses met with God. When Moses met with God directly, his face would radiate so brightly the people couldn’t look at him (Exodus 34:29-35 NIV). God’s presence overwhelms us, our minds can’t comprehend His splendor. The bridge Jesus creates connects us to God’s splendor.
The bridge Jesus creates connects us to God’s splendor.
The bridge Jesus builds for us is done by prayer. He intercedes on our behalf with the Father. When He asks us to sit and wait, it’s because He’s praying:
“Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.” (Romans 8:34 NIV).
Interceding is praying. Prayer is simply talking to God. Jesus is sitting beside God in heaven talking about you. He’s telling Him all of the things you’ve whispered in His ear. He knows the areas of your heart that are broken, He wants to heal them:
“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” (Psalm 147:3 NIV).
God’s splendor is revealed to us the more we rely on Jesus. As we pursue a relationship with Jesus, we begin to follow His example. We start to take our eyes off of the desires of this world and place them on the desires of God. We begin to learn the joy that comes from true forgiveness (Colossians 3:13 NIV). We begin to understand God’s peace that surpasses all understanding (Ephesians 4:7 NIV). We stand firm in the face of adversity because we know who is fighting for us (Romans 8:31 NIV). And so much more: unconditional love, miraculous events, life changing revelations. The bridge Jesus creates connects us to God’s splendor.
Question of the Day:
How have you experienced God’s splendor because of Jesus?
Further Reading: Numbers 11:24-13:33 NIV, Mark 14:22-52 NIV, Psalm 52:1-9 NIV, Proverbs 11:1-3 NIV
