A couple of week ago I started a little series of reflections on the times we have recorded in the Bible of when Jesus himself prayed. Part One was looking at his prayer during his baptism from Luke’s gospel, when the ‘heavens opened’ the Holy Spirit descended, and God spoke.
This week we look at the second recorded incident from Mark’s gospel and what we can learn from Jesus’ example.
I remember having a conversation with someone which went a little like this: “Hello Mark, how are you?”, my reply was “I’m alright, I’m really busy”, then, what came was a barrage of words from the person I was talking with, telling me off for answering like that. I was made to feel that busyness was wrong and certainly no way to answer that question.
When they had finished, I was annoyed at their response to my answer but even more annoyed that some of what they said had got me thinking about my mindset to general living and at what I give my time to and place importance in.
Jesus gives us an example here in Marks gospel that I want to get so much better at following.
“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. Simon and his companions went to look for him, and when they found him, they exclaimed:
“Everyone is looking for you!”
Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.” So, he travelled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons.”Mark 1:35-39 – NIV
Here are three things which strike me about what happens when Jesus prayed in these verses.
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Prayer – in busyness
When you read these verses in their context it doesn’t take much to see that Jesus had been extremely busy. Jesus had spent time calling some of his disciples to follow him, he had been teaching in the synagogue and also ministered to a man with an evil spirit, he left there and healed Simon’s mother-in-law and then was healing many other people, in fact we read the whole town gathered at his door and he was healing the sick and those with diseases and casting out demons into the night, well after sunset.
But, despite this, Jesus knowing the importance of prayer made it a priority to get up the next morning and go and pray. Jesus made it a priority not an extra or an ‘add-on’. I know I have used the excuse of being too busy in the past, perhaps you have too, and the truth is it’s a rubbish excuse. It always reminds me of that conversation I just mentioned. God deserves us making time for him. I know that can be hard, with a big family or stressful job, with dependant parents or demanding commitments, with health issues or other worries. But when life is full and busy, we need more prayer not less.
“Work, work, from morning until late at night. In fact, I have so much to do that I shall have to spend the first three hours in prayer”Martin Luther
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Prayer – Early?
Jesus, we read, got up ‘very early in the morning’ to go and pray. Does this mean we should also? There are some who would teach yes, and they have a strong case. I mean what better way to start the day, it’s quiet, less distractions and Jesus did!!! But (without this sounding like excuses) there are practical reasons why this may not be possible for some – if you work through the night or are kept up all night with young children or you simply may not be very good in the morning.
I think God cares more about us making time to pray (whenever that is in the day) rather than making the time we pray what we care about. Making time takes discipline and my own experience is that I find it hard BUT it’s so, so important, it grows us and connects us with God in a profoundly deep way. Whether it’s morning, afternoon, or evening, make prayer a priority however busy we may be.
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Prayer – Clarity
Jesus went and did what His Father asked him to do. We as God’s children can have that same deep relationship through prayer. Jesus was having a successful ministry in Capernaum; he would have had every temptation to remain in that place. He was even told that ‘everyone is looking for you’, he was popular and today would have had celebrity status! But Jesus knew the next thing to do was to go to other places – not to increase his fame but because through prayer it was clear what he had to do next, he knew his purpose which is why he said “that is why I have come”.
When we pray, we invite God to come and speak to us, to help us navigate our way through life, through our work, our family, our difficulties, our decisions. Prayer allows God to make things CLEAR, his purposes and plans for us.
Applying the example of Jesus is what I long for, doing it is harder and a challenge. Let’s ask God by his Spirit to help us, to train us and discipline us in these things.
My simple prayer is this:
Dear God, my life is busy, my days are full, you know everything about me. So, please help me to make time to pray every day, please give me the discipline to keep it up and to know and feel the blessing it brings. Amen.
– Mark.
