Mark 1:35, in the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there.
In our most recent look at Jesus’ ministry we find our Savior meeting with and healing people who had been brought to Him. After He had healed Peter’s Mother-in-Law, His work continued into the evening. (Luke 4:40) They had waited until the sun had set. Can you imagine waiting to access God? Can you imagine a sick relative who has been suffering and waiting until a later time to get them relief? When my daughter was little and she wasn’t feeling well, I was likely to go at any time to get any medicine needed to comfort her. Isn’t it a wonderful luxury to be able to approach God at any time. My Lord is available 24/7!
Something happens in this passage that reveals much about our Savior. Early the next morning Jesus rose early and went out to pray. (Mark 1:35) The very idea of Jesus, quietly exiting the house to go to a place of privacy to be with God is astounding. I am so encouraged and humbled that Jesus felt the need to be so attached to the Father. I am reminded, at these glimpses of Jesus needs, that my spiritual needs are deep and profound. At no other time has Heaven and Earth been connected in this way. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit were working to save the eternity of Man. I wonder what Jesus spoke to the Father about? Maybe He had some pressing issue that day, or maybe it was just another day of the stress and strain of being the Savior of the world. Did the Father speak audibly to Jesus or through the Word like He does to us? That’s an answer for a future day.
Jesus was never gone long when the disciples seemed to find Him out. (v. 37) How restricting Jesus’ human form must have been. To go from omnipresent, omniscient, and all-powerful to frail, tired, and time restricted. From complete and total freedom, to geographically located, and “humanitarily” constrained must have been so cumbersome. He was pulled in so many directions by so many people, yet He had to maintain the real priorities of not only doing good, but also maintaining focus on The Mission – preaching the Gospel of the Coming Kingdom. (v. 38)
We serve a “risen” Savior, as the old hymn says. When He walked among us in flesh, He worked so incredibly hard for the success of His mission. He was invested physically, spiritually, and emotionally. I am so humbled that anyone would know everything about me and still love me that much. Jesus loves us all. God has had a direct connection to every birth that ever happened. (Psalm 139:13-14) In that sense, He has had a hand in the creation of each one of us. My only real value in this world is the reflection of my Savior’s hand on my soul. I am grateful for examples of deliberate and thoughtful prayer. Some of that heavenly communication was about us – you and me. (John 17)
If we are going to live like Christ in this world, we will need to be deliberate in our prayer life. We will need to have priorities beyond ourselves. We will need to serve sacrificially. May God help us all as we try to emulate our Savior in a world that is distracting and chaotic. Don’t grow weary in well doing my friend. (Galatians 6:9) The world needs all of our Savior it can possibly get! Godspeed on your journey!