THE MASTER IN PRAYER (2)

“Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there HE PRAYED” – Mark 1:35

The first fundamental lesson we can learn about the MASTER IN PRAYER is that our Lord Jesus PRIORITIZED PRAYING: “Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there HE PRAYED. And Simon and those who were with Him searched for Him. When they found Him, they said to Him, “Everyone is looking for You” (Mk.1: 35-37). Jesus had been up late into the night teaching and healing people. Yet He got up early in the morning, and went off alone to pray. His habit was to get alone and talk with His Father early (Mt.14:23; Mk.6:46; Lk.6:12, 9:18). His rhythm was: Give to people, receive from God in prayer.

Several scriptures confirm that JESUS prayed a lot. He kept in constant communication and communion with His Father. If Jesus gave so much attention to Prayer, so must every Believer, because “A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher” (Lk.6:40). JESUS, our Master – Teacher, Instructor, Trainer – is a Model of all He taught about prayer. Someone came up with an acrostic, WWJD which stands for “What Would Jesus Do.” Without doubt, what Jesus will do in most situations is to PRAY. Right now, in Heaven, Intercession is the Present-Day Ministry of Jesus: “Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them” (Heb.7:25).

Prayer was extremely important to Jesus and still is. Prayer was more important to Jesus, at times, than:

Teaching, preaching, healing, and working miracles: “However, the report went around concerning Him all the more; and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by Him of their infirmities. So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and PRAYED” (Lk. 5:15, 16). Here is this rhythm again: Give to people, receive from God. People crowded around Jesus to be blessed, fed, healed, and delivered. He generously gave His time and energy. He taught, healed, and fed. Yet He often slipped away alone to pray. He made time for unrushed conversation with God. He emptied Himself for people; He filled up with God.

Being with people: “And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain BY HIMSELF TO PRAY” (Mt.14:23).

Food: “And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God’ (Mt.1: 1-4; Lk.1: 1-4; Jh.4:34).

Sleep: “Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “What! Could you not watch with Me one hour?” Watch and PRAY, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Mt.26:40). Jesus sacrificed sleep for prayer!

These scriptures should motivate us to spend time with God in Prayer and His Word everyday – daily observing the discipline of devotion. The Master’s Model is not just trying to FIND time for God, we’ll MAKE time. We are not to squeeze God into our schedule; we build our schedule around Him. If our relationship with God is truly the most important relationship in our life, we’ll give Him the best time. We don’t find time, we make time for honest, unrushed conversation with God.

Jesus’ prime time was early every morning, the first hour of the day. This He devoted to the Father! The psalmist also said: “My voice You shall hear in the morning, O LORD; In the morning I will direct it to You, And I will look up” (Psa.5:3). Beloved, if Jesus needed to do this, how much do we? Let’s prioritize praying, make time for unrushed conversations with God. We’ll come away filled, refreshed, and revived.