Hello, chosen ones of God,
Today, let’s learn from Jesus’ prayer life:
“And in the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus rose up, went out of the house, and went away to a desolate place, and was praying there.”
— Mark 1:35
In this account, we find Jesus still at Simon’s house in Capernaum. He had just healed multitudes, and now it’s morning, but still dark. Mark paints this picture to show that Jesus was an early riser. After spending the previous evening healing people, He woke up early in the morning, while it was still dark, and left the house.
Mark’s mention of the early hour suggests that this wasn’t a common practice for everyone around Him to wake up so early.
This also shows the intentionality that Jesus had to set aside time for prayer. This is further highlighted by how He went to a desolate place to pray—a place with the least amount of interruptions. This speaks to the level of intentionality Jesus had for His time of prayer. He wasn’t just there for a quick one-minute prayer; rather, it was a time of deep meditation and focused communication with the Father.
This should prompt us, as believers, to ask ourselves: How seriously do we take our prayer life? Do we put as much intentionality into choosing not only the best time but also the best place for fellowship with the Father?
In Mark’s account, we also see the human side of Jesus. Mark says that Jesus “rose up,” which suggests that after healing people and casting out demons the previous evening, He slept. The implication is that everyone, including Jesus, went to sleep, and He rose up early in the morning.
This is yet another reminder that while Jesus was indeed God incarnate, able to forgive sins, heal the sick, and cast out demons, He was also truly human. He ate when Simon’s mother-in-law served Him and His disciples, and He slept when night came. These are obviously human traits, not necessarily divine, as the scriptures tell us that God does not slumber:
“He will not allow your foot to stumble; He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel Will not slumber and will not sleep.”
— Psalm 121:3-4
In these verses, we see Mark highlighting both the divine and human natures of Jesus Christ. This dual nature is similar to how the apostle Paul presented Christ to the Philippians:
“Who, although existing in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, by taking the form of a slave, by being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”
— Philippians 2:6-8
The next part of the narrative shows how Jesus went to a desolate place to pray. Here, we see another side of our Lord. One might think that since Jesus is truly divine, He wouldn’t need prayer. However, when we see Jesus pray, it sheds light on the fellowship that exists within the Holy Trinity. Time and time again, Jesus would take time for Himself to pray to His Father.
This is a fascinating aspect of Jesus’ life. He sought fellowship with His Father through prayer. For Jesus, prayer was not just a routine or religious act. Instead, prayer was fellowship with God the Father. It pleased Jesus to pray to His Father.
As believers, we should learn from our Lord. Prayer shouldn’t just be a religious practice, empty and devoid of meaning. Nor should it be something we only do when we are desperate for some kind of supernatural intervention from God. Prayer should delight our souls. We should be excited to go before our Father and have fellowship with Him. The apostle John speaks of this fellowship in a profound way:
“And this is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not do the truth; but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.”
— 1 John 1:5-7
Having been justified by faith in the eyes of our Lord, we are clothed with the righteousness of His Son. We should understand that when God looks at us, He sees the righteousness of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, we ought to have confidence when approaching the throne of grace, knowing that Jesus is interceding on our behalf so that we can have fellowship with our Father in heaven.
Moreover, we have the Holy Spirit, who actively testifies within us, crying out to our Lord:
“For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons by whom we cry out, ‘Abba! Father!’”
— Romans 8:15
Such was the practice of prayer for our Lord and Savior. As believers, we need to cultivate a personal and intimate relationship with our Father in heaven. We should not only go to Him when we are stuck in life or desperate; instead, we should view prayer as a way to build a personal relationship, a way to draw near to Him in every moment.
Above all, we should remember that prayer is actually God’s will for us:
“Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
— 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
I pray that this word reminds and encourages us to grow in our prayer life.
May the love of Christ be with you all.
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