Prioritizing Prayer

“And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, He went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.” Mark 1:35

The morning spoken of in Mark 1:35, came after a busy day for our LORD. “…on the Sabbath day He entered into the synagogue and taught.” (Mark 1:21) While there, a man with an unclean spirit cried out and Jesus said, “Hold thy peace and come out of him.” (Mark 1:25) Amazed by what Jesus had done, His fame began to spread throughout Galilee. After leaving the synagogue, Jesus entered the house of Simon and Andrew and found Peter’s mother-in-law lying sick and He healed her. (Mark 1:29-31)

“At evening, when the sun had set, they brought to Him all who were sick and those who were demon-possessed and the whole city was gathered at the door. Jesus healed many who were sick with various diseases and cast out many demons…” V32-34

Jesus had a busy day teaching and healing. Nevertheless, “the next morning, Jesus woke up very early, left the house while it was still dark and went to a place where He could be alone and pray.” (ERV) (Mark 1:35)

Even though the busyness of the previous day had continued into the early hours of the next morning, Jesus rose early, removed Himself from any distractions and found a secluded place to pray.

(GW) In the morning, long before sunrise, Jesus went to a place where He could be alone to pray.

Alone time with the LORD, free from distraction, is not always easy. Jesus teaches us that prayer is not always a matter of personal convenience, but most times necessitates self- sacrifice and discipline. That can be hard. We may be required to sacrifice rest after a busy day. Perhaps, we must rise early and find a quiet place to be alone with our Creator. Maybe stopping during a time sensitive task of importance to pray is necessary. These may present challenges for us, however, if we are not willing to make these concessions, we will never have the prayer life needed for a successful relationship with GOD.