Observations/Interpretations:
Point
1: Jesus got up
I asked myself why it is
significant that ‘very early in the
morning’ is mentioned!
I found this very significant because this
happened after Jesus spent so much time healing people with various
diseases the night before. Yet, Jesus still gets up very early in the
morning. He does not let the night before interfere with what He wanted
to do and needed to do. He did not cling to the bed for extra doses of
sleep. Not only does Jesus get up but does something else which is
evident by point 2.
Point 2:
Jesus left the house
I asked myself why it is
significant that Jesus left the house!
It is very possible that Jesus was still staying
in Simon and Andrew’s house where He had fellowship with them, healed
Peter’s mother-in-law, and healed people who came to the door with
various diseases. The house could have been packed with Simon and
Andrew’s family and guests including Jesus. I believe Jesus does not
want to disturb any of them so He leaves the house. We do find another
reason why Jesus leaves the house which is evident in points 3 & 4.
Point
3&4: Jesus went out to a solitary place where He prayed.
I asked myself why Jesus
wanted to go to a solitary place!
Jesus wanted some privacy so He could pray. The
house setting was not going to do because there were many people in the
house still sleeping. Waiting for people to get up was not also going to
be feasible because then Jesus would not have had privacy to bring His
requests before the Father. But this way, Jesus started out His day
spending time alone with the Father without any disturbances. For that
to happen, Jesus sacrificed His sleep and got up while it was still
dark. Jesus exhibited qualities of sacrifice early on.
As Jesus is praying in a solitary place,
something else is happening back at the house later. This is evident by
v.36.
“Simon and his companions
went to look for him, and when they found him, they exclaimed: ‘Everyone
is looking for you!’” (Mark 1:36)
There are two things that Simon and his
companions do
-
They went to look for
Jesus.
-
When they found him,
they exclaimed: ‘Everyone is looking for you!”
Statement 1: They went to look for Jesus.
If they went to look for Jesus, this tells me
that Jesus was not nearby where he could be easily located and
disturbed. Jesus wanted that private time alone with the Lord. It is
also possible that they all slept for awhile after Jesus left because
now everyone is awake and doing something which is evident by statement
2.
Statement 2: When they found him, they exclaimed: ‘Everyone is looking
for you!”
Eventually, Simon and his companions found Jesus and exclaimed that
everyone was looking for Him. This also tells me that Jesus might have
spent a lot of time in prayer and it took sometime for them to find
Jesus. The amount of time they slept after Jesus left the house and the
amount of time it took to find Jesus can give us the idea how much time
Jesus spent with the Father that morning. If everyone was looking for
Jesus then it was a time where most of them were already up. That’s a
lot of time Jesus spent in a solitary place.
Observation:
I asked myself how Jesus
responds to their exclamation!
Jesus responds with 3 replies
-
Let us go somewhere
else to the nearby villages.
-
So I can preach there
also.
-
That is why I have
come.
Observation/Interpretation:
These statements are so significant to me
because Jesus made these statements to Simon and his companions after He
had spent time with the Father. He was sharing His insights with them
after prayer. Even though people were looking for him from one place,
Jesus wanted them to know that He did not come to be confined to one
area and one sub-population but came for other people too.
It is very interesting that Jesus did not say
that He came to heal people but ‘so I can preach
there also’. The Gospel was priority in Jesus’ life. But to
present the Gospel, Jesus also met people where they were so they would
be more receptive to the Gospel. This is evident by v.39.
" So he traveled
throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out
demons.” (Mark 1:39)
Because of time spent in prayer, Jesus and His
companions traveled throughout Galilee preaching in the synagogues and
driving out demons.
Implications:
I saw important implications for my own life as
I studied this passage. The most important thing I learned is the
importance of solitary time with the Lord to spend in prayer. I learned
how prayer before the Father gave Jesus insight on what to do. These
days we also have the Word of God in print for us to spend with the
Father in prayer. Praying God’s Word and spending time in God’s Word can
give me new insights on what the Lord wants me to do that day rather
than going my own way.
I ask you now dear
friends, where do you give your solitary time with the Lord?
Dear friends, I learned from this passage the
importance of solitary time with Father God. When we spend time alone
with the Father God without any distractions, He reveals to us what He wants
us to do and we know we can be guided in His footsteps. That is so
exciting to know!
Friend,
the important thing is time with the Lord in solitariness and not
whether it is in the morning, noon, or at night. For Jesus it worked
best to have solitary time early in the morning but for you it maybe in
the evening or afternoon. Choose a time and give that time to the Lord
without any distractions which means having your cell phone turned off
and answering machine picking up your calls.
The
quality time is more important than the quantity of time spent but as
any relationship, the more quality time we spend the more fruitful our
own relationship with the Lord becomes!
Jesus set an example for us on the importance of
prayer. Now God has also given us His Word to be able to listen to Him
and do what He wants for our lives. Unless, we spend time in the Word
and with God through prayer, we will miss out on a lot of things because
we will be going our own way. The Holy Spirit wants to lead us through
the Word and through prayer. This can be supplemented by fellowship and
church but that is never substituted for time alone with Jesus to know
Him and be known by Him. Jesus went to the synagogue and had fellowship
time but still got up the next day to spend time alone with the Father.
This does not mean that we cannot talk to the
Lord when we are among other people. Prayer to the Lord can happen
anytime but we need to also set a special time alone with the Lord. It
is imperative and exciting to know we have prayer available.
“But I
will call upon the Lord to save me---and he will. I will pray morning,
noon, and night, pleading aloud with God; and he will hear and answer.”
(Psalm 55:16-17, TLB)
“Give your
burdens to the Lord. He will carry them. He will not permit the godly to
slip or fall.” (Psalm 55:22, TLB)
Talk to the Lord about your life
during the morning, noon, and night, pleading aloud with God and He will
hear and answer. He wants to carry your burdens. He will not permit the
godly to slip or fall.
Prayer is Wonderful, Prayer
is Powerful
By Ramesh C. Reddy
Prayer is wonderful; prayer
is powerful
Prayer is wonderful; prayer is powerful
More of prayer in my life
In the morning time;
I will pray to you my Jesus
In the noon time;
I will pray to you my Jesus
In the night time;
I will pray to you my Jesus
For you hear and answer!
Prayer is wonderful; prayer
is powerful
Prayer is wonderful; prayer is powerful
More of prayer in my life.
Amen!
May you find time in your schedule to spend time
alone with Father God so He can guide you and lead you! Amen!
"Seeking Out Lord Inspires
Today All, Remembering Yeshua!"(S.O.L.I.T.A.R.Y)/"
Where do you give your solitary time with the Lord?
Prayer:
Dear Jesus thank you so much for the example you have set for us. You
did not let the night before cloud out your time with the Father very
early in the morning. You got up and while it was still dark, went out
to a solitary place to pray. During that time, thank you for the wisdom
you received and shared those with Simon and his companions when they
came to look for you. What you have shown me is the importance of a
solitary time with you Lord regardless of when we have that time. I know
if you did not have your solitary time in the morning it would have been
difficult for you with everyone bombarding you. Help us Oh Lord not to
make our hectic schedules as excuses for not spending time with you.
Help us to always make time for you Jesus. Thank you so much Jesus.
Thank you again for the insights you can give us. Thank you for the
power of your Word and your Spirit to guide us and lead us! Thank you
for supplementing that with community of believers! In Your Name I Pray
Jesus! Amen!
