Day 112: Mark 1:29–30

As soon as they left the synagogue, they went into Simon and Andrew’s house with James and John. Simon’s mother-in-law was lying in bed with a fever, and they told Him about her at once (vv. 29–30).

What a relief to know that God doesn’t just go to church, He goes to our homes! When I was a little girl, I was fairly certain God lived in our church baptistry. My vivid imagination turned dressing-room doors into secret passages that led into the mysterious dwelling of the divine boogie man. I am happy to report, though, that God doesn’t live in the baptistry. He lives in the hearts of those who trust Him and in the homes of those who provide Him room.

Sometimes, though, we don’t bother to summon Jesus Christ into our homes until we are overwhelmed by threatening circumstances.

Do you have a sense of Christ’s activity in your home? I’ve a good reason for asking you this question. Almost every spiritual marker of Christ’s heightened activity in my home came as a direct result of some threatening situation. Right now both my daughters are walking with God, but I assure you this did not simply happen in the natural evolution of their lives. I watched their relationships grow over the years they shared our home, through situations in which some threat convinced them to cleave closer to Christ.

When Jesus went to help Simon’s mother-in-law, Luke 4:39 tells us He “bent over her.” I don’t think I’m reading too much into the picture to imagine a close encounter suggesting deep concern. I always reacted in a similar way any time one of my children was sick. I didn’t remain upright and stoic, checking off a list of symptoms. I bent over them and drew close. I had learned from my mother that I could better gauge a temperature with my cheek on their foreheads than with a thermometer. I could not keep my distance from a sick child, even if her malady was contagious.

Christ could have healed Simon’s mother-in-law from the front porch. He didn’t. He came to her and drew down close. After all, she was in no position to seek help for herself. He involved Himself one-on-one with those He helped.

Our homes today are threatened by fevers of all sorts—far beyond the physiological: unresolved conflict, unforgiveness, unfaithfulness, compromising media communications, pornography, and more. We need Jesus in our homes.