Mark 1:35-39 | Prayer
How Jesus Prayed: Lessons from Mark 1:35-39
Have you ever known someone who never seems to be in a hurry? Those people who are fully present with you, never looking at their watch or rushing to the next appointment? While many of us struggle with constant busyness, Jesus modeled a different way of living - one centered on prayer.
In the Gospels, we see that Jesus' life and ministry flowed from an intimate prayer life with His Father. Even in His busiest seasons, Jesus prioritized prayer. This wasn't just something He added to His schedule when convenient - it was the foundation and fuel for everything He did.
Why Was Prayer So Important to Jesus?
Prayer is not just something we check off our spiritual to-do list. As Oswald Chambers famously said, "Prayer does not fit us for the greater work. Prayer is the greater work." For Jesus, prayer was about intimate relationship with His Father - the one He loved most.
When we look at Mark 1:35-39, we see three important aspects of Jesus' prayer life that we can apply to our own:
Jesus Made Prayer a Priority
"And rising very early in the morning while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place. And there he prayed." (Mark 1:35)
Notice the emphasis on how early Jesus got up to pray. Mark emphasizes this three times - it was very early, in the morning, and still dark. This wasn't just a casual addition to Jesus' day; it was a deliberate priority.
This scene comes in the middle of an incredibly busy ministry season. In Mark 1, we see Jesus:
Being baptized
Being tempted
Beginning His ministry
Calling His first disciples
Casting out an unclean spirit
Healing many people
Yet in the midst of this flurry of activity, Jesus prioritized prayer. It wasn't an afterthought - it was the source from which everything else flowed.
How Busyness Tests Our Prayer Life
When Simon Peter finds Jesus, he says, "Everyone is looking for you" (v.37). The demands on Jesus' time were enormous. People were lining up for His attention and ministry. Yet this was precisely when Jesus chose to draw away and pray.
Martin Luther once said, "I have so much to do that I will spend the first three hours in prayer." This seems counterintuitive to our productivity-obsessed culture, but it reveals a profound truth: when we prioritize time with God in prayer, everything else in our lives finds its proper place.
Jesus Made a Place for Prayer
Jesus went to "a desolate place" to pray. The Greek word used here is the same word for "wilderness" - a significant connection in Mark's Gospel. In the wilderness, God's people were tested. Would they trust God in a place where they couldn't provide for themselves?
Prayer is our wilderness experience - a place of spiritual testing where we bring our unbelief into conflict with a faithful God. It's where we say, "God, I refuse to take this situation into my own hands. I'm going to trust you to guide me."
Creating Your Own Prayer Space
To develop a consistent prayer life:
Set aside dedicated time - Just as financial experts advise setting money aside at the beginning of the month, we need to allocate time for prayer before our schedule fills up.
Find a dedicated place - Jesus had regular spots where He prayed. Having a consistent location helps establish the habit of prayer.
Even if this feels forced at first, regular prayer times actually lead to more spontaneous prayer throughout your day. Try spending 15 minutes each morning praying through the Lord's Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13), taking each line and expanding on it in your own words.
Jesus Made Prayer Purposeful
After praying, Jesus makes a surprising decision. Instead of staying in Capernaum where His ministry was thriving, He says: "Let us go on to the next towns, that I might preach there also, for that is why I came out" (v.38).
This wasn't the logical choice. Capernaum was a regional center where Jesus was finding great success. The worldly approach would be to build on that momentum. Instead, Jesus chose to go to smaller towns - the equivalent of a famous band leaving a sold-out arena tour to play in small coffee shops.
Why? Because Jesus was led by the Father through prayer. He chose God's guidance over outward success. Through prayer, Jesus aligned His will with the Father's, even when it contradicted conventional wisdom.
Praying with Purpose
When we pray purposefully:
We ask God to change our hearts, not just our circumstances
We seek help from others through community
We ask for what we could never accomplish on our own
George Mueller, who ran orphanages in 19th century England, demonstrated this kind of faith. When his orphanage had no food, he prayed with confidence. Before the morning was over, a baker felt compelled to bring bread and a milkman's broken wagon provided milk. Mueller prayed expecting God to move in ways he couldn't manufacture himself.
Jesus Made Prayer Personal
Most importantly, Jesus' prayers weren't religious performances - they were personal conversations with His Father. Notice how His prayers typically begin with one word: "Father."
This same intimacy is available to us. In John 17, Jesus prayed that we would know the Father as He does. Romans 8 tells us that Jesus continues to intercede for us at the Father's right hand.
When you feel too weak, distracted, or unworthy to pray - remember that Jesus is praying for you. His prayers never falter or fail. He went to the cross so you could have direct access to the Father.
Life Application
This week, I challenge you to:
Set aside 15 minutes each morning to pray through the Lord's Prayer, line by line.
Create a dedicated prayer space in your home where you can consistently meet with God.
Pray for something that only God can do - something beyond your own ability to accomplish.
Ask yourself:
Is prayer a priority in my life, or something I fit in when convenient?
Do I view prayer as the foundation of my relationship with God or just an addition to it?
Am I praying for God's will to be done, even when it contradicts what seems logical?
Do I approach prayer as a personal conversation with a loving Father?
Remember, prayer isn't just something we do - it's the greater work. When we make prayer a priority, create space for it, pray purposefully, and approach God personally, we'll experience the same intimacy with the Father that Jesus had.