35And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed. 36And Simon and those who were with him searched for him, 37and they found him and said to him, “Everyone is looking for you.” 38And 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.” 39And he went throughout all Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out demons. (Mark 1:35-39)
Jesus “did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men” (Philippians 2:6-7). This is the doctrine of incarnation. As one born in the likeness of men, having emptied himself and let go of equality with God, Jesus relied on the same resources as all men must. He needed air, food, water, sleep–and prayer.
Jesus prayed perfectly on our behalf, in our place. This is the doctrine of imputation. His righteousness is credited to our account (Philippians 3:9). So don’t feel guilty about your prayer life. Remember that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1).
Jesus also prayed perfectly as our example. Years ago my youth pastor, Adam Ponder, gave me Power Though Prayer by E. M. Bounds. The book gives countless examples of great men of prayer throughout history–men who would spend hours in prayer every day, wearing grooves into the wood under their knees. That book greatly inspired me to pray. But nothing is so inspiring as the example of our Lord Jesus Christ.
With all this in mind, here are four observations about Jesus’ prayer life to inspire gratitude for his prayerfullness on our behalf and emulation in light of his example.
1) Jesus Prayed Early
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.
When I was taking classes I had to get up every morning at 5am to find time to study. I put my alarm across the room so I would have to get up to turn it off. Once up, I would turn on as many lights as I could and push the button on the coffee maker that I had set up the night before. Then I had to push through at least 15 minutes of grogginess before I began to wake up enough to study.
Remember that Jesus was a man, and such an early morning was no easier on him that it is for us. He had no alarm, no lights and no coffee to help him, but he still got up early to pray.
This is especially impressive in light of his previous night. “That evening at sundown they brought to him all who were sick or oppressed by demons.”
Imagine whatever you were doing at sundown last night. The door bell rings. You open the door to find every sick and demon possessed person in the city crying out to you for help! This was Jesus’ evening. He was in essence the sole doctor at the emergency room. He likely worked for hours listening to, touching and healing people from all variety of illnesses and injuries, all while dealing demon possessed people who were shrieking at him (Mark 23-24). You can bet it was a long, laborious night.
After this long night of hard work, Jesus arose very early to pray. Perhaps we should consider forsaking some sleep to gain some prayer time. After all, which is better: to be well rested but prayerless, or to be tired and prayerful?
2) Jesus Prayed Alone
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…
The emphasis is on solitude. He went out to an unpopulated place to pray.
Remember he was staying in Simon’s house. He must have tip-toed out, because the didn’t know where to find him. He left no note. He had no smartphone. He could receive no texts, emails or calls. He was far enough away from Simon and the others that they had to search for him. He was practically hiding!
Perhaps we should consider finding a ‘desolate place’ to pray. It may be your own living room, but at 5am before the kids are up. It may be the coffee shop. It may be in your car alone in a parking lot. It may be a tree stand in the woods.
3) Jesus Prayed Under Pressure
And Simon and those who were with him searched for him, and they found him and said to him, “Everyone is looking for you.”
If you are like most people, you are under intense pressure. Jesus can relate. Hebrews 4:15 says, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weakness, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.”
Jesus was under the pressure of fame. Mark 1:28 says, “And at once his fame spread everywhere throughout all the surrounding region of Galilee.” The pressure of fame has destroyed many, and he felt it. He was under the pressure of demand. He had an entire city of needy people searching for him because he was the only one who could help them. He was under the pressure of compassion. Matthew 9:36 says, “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them…”
Under all this pressure, Jesus made the time and took the effort to pray. He could have gotten up before sunrise and started healing people. But he didn’t. Instead he prayed.
It reminds me of a Martin Luther quote. After being asked about his plans for the next day he responded, “Work, work, from early to late. In fact, I have so much to do that I shall spend the first three hours in prayer.”
Let’s stop letting the pressure destroy our prayer lives. Instead, let’s let pressure trigger prayer. The more pressure, the more prayer.
4) Jesus Prayed, and then Acted
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.
Under the pressure of an entire city to stay and help needy people, Jesus said ‘no.’ How hard it is for us to say ‘no,’ and under much less pressure than Jesus faced that morning! Yet he knew he had a deeper purpose that required him to go on to other towns.
How was he so clear about his purpose? How was he so decisive? It wasn’t because he was a superman. It was because he was a prayerful man. And so that same clarity and decisiveness can be ours if we will devote ourselves to prayer.
Conclusion
Jesus prayed. He prayed perfectly on our behalf and as our example. He prayed early, alone and under pressure. Then he acted. Let’s praise God for Jesus’ prayer life! And let’s follow Jesus by praying this week.
Discussion Starters
- Read Mark 1:35-39 together.
- Do you usually think of Jesus as God or as a man? Why?
- Describe your usual prayer life. (And be honest!)
- Read verse 35 again. Do you think getting up earlier in the morning to pray would be a good idea for you? Why or why not?
- Do you have a ‘desolate place’ in which to pray? Someplace away from the noise of responsibility where you can focus on prayer? If so, describe it. If not, where might you go to find such solitude?
- Read verses 36 and 37. Imagining the pressure under which Jesus found himself, think about the pressure in your own life. What pressures are you dealing with right now? Are they crowding prayer out of your life or triggering prayer? Why?
- Read verses 38-39. Note how decisive Jesus is here. What are some areas of your life in which you could use such clarity?
