Jesus withdrew toward the sea with his disciples. A large number of people followed from Galilee and from Judea. // Mark 3:7
There’s a joke among mothers that moms of toddlers cannot even use the bathroom in peace and quiet. Little fingers show up under the door, reaching for Mom. The pursuit doesn’t end in toddler-hood, either. My tweens and teens have frequently walked past Dad to ask me a question—one which he could easily have answered. I once answered a call while on retreat, thinking an emergency happened at home, only to have my son ask a rather unimportant question, “because Dad is working on the car."
Talk about a relentless pursuit. Kids don’t seem to care or notice if it’s inconvenient for Mom. They just know it’s her they want.
Imagine being even more persistent in seeking the Lord.
Imagine being so intent on Him, that you would walk miles to follow Him, to seek His healing, to hear His voice—like the people in today’s Gospel—relentless and determined to be near the only person who can fulfill our hearts’ desires. They weren’t deterred by distance or convenience, or Jesus’ apparent unavailability when He withdrew to the lake. In fact, they seem even more determined as they “were pressing upon him to touch him” and be cured (Mark 3:10).
Perhaps the persistence of children is what Mark had in mind when he wrote this passage, especially as later in his Gospel he records Jesus saying, “[W]hoever does not accept the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it” (Mark 10:15). I can see a parallel between my young children constantly following me and the people following after Jesus. My children haven’t been deterred by my apparent unavailability, just as the people were not deterred by Jesus’ retreat to the lake. There’s a childlike quality in this kind of pursuit of the Lord, and in pressing in until we’re near enough to touch Him and be healed by His love.
Sister, I encourage you today to press in, to keep pursuing the Lord in prayer. If you have a chance, stop by your local church and pray before His Real Presence in the tabernacle, drawing near the Lord’s loving presence.
Gina Fensterer is a wife and mother of six children. She is passionate about finding God in the ordinary moments of her vocation. She loves Adoration, praying with Scripture, long morning walks, and fitness. She was a contributing author to And Hay Became Holy and our children's devotional prayer book called Rise Up. Read more by her here.
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