Mark 1
“And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, [Jesus] departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed. And Simon and those who were with him searched for him, and they found him and said to him, ‘Everyone is looking for you’ And he said to them, ‘Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out.’ And he went throughout all Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out demons” (Mark 1:35-39).
Jesus was very busy. The night before he had been healing the sick and casting out demons. He probably got to bed late. But he still woke up early and prayed. Praying early in the morning refreshed him for his mission. After spending time with his Father, he knew what he had to do. And he did it, despite what others wanted or expected him to do. He went to other towns to preach.
Some principles: (1) it is when we are very busy that we especially need to pray; (2) prayer in the early morning is the best way to reorient ourselves to God’s mission; and (3) through prayer, we can ensure we are doing what God wants us to do rather than what people expect us to do.
Father, I want to spend early mornings in prayer with you. Help me to go to sleep early so I can rise early. During this time of transition, where we have lots of ideas and opportunities, I pray you will show us your mission for our family. May we seek to please you and fulfill your mission for us. May we not live under the tyranny of others’ expectations. We have an open field of opportunity. So show us what you want us to do and help us do it. I am reminded of the five ministries we focused on in New Zealand: conversational evangelism, discipleship groups, inductive Bible study, expository Bible teaching, and biblical worldview training. Open up a place for us to do these things here in the U.S. In Jesus’ name, amen.
- Jeff Coleman