Jesus' Prayer Life

Theme: The Life of a Servant

 

 

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. 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.

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LESSON

After this long, arduous day, there is one more thing Mark would show us about Jesus. Mark writes in verses 35–39: “And in the morning, a great while before day, He rose and went out to a lonely place, and there He prayed. And Simon and those who were with Him pursued Him, and they found Him and said to Him, ‘Everyone is searching 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.”

 

The Lord Jesus Christ was a servant, but never forget that He was Jehovah God who had become flesh to dwell among us. Constantly, He went outside to pray.

 

Now, prayer for the Lord Jesus Christ is quite different from prayer for us. We pray in ignorance; the Lord prayed in full knowledge. We pray desiring that God shall reveal Himself and make Himself known to us, while the Lord Jesus prayed in a oneness with the Father that He had always had, even before the world began. The Lord Jesus Christ, in that oneness, was basking in the love of the Father. For a time He could be, as it were, back in heaven with the Father.

 

He was not praying in ignorance to be taught; He was not praying in weakness asking for strength; He was praying in full communion with the Father. And yet, in this mystery of the humanity of Jesus Christ, we see that He was constantly drawn out for this communion with the Father. There is a tremendous lesson for us here. If Jesus in His great power and oneness with God could feel the urgent necessity of communion with the Father, how much more you and I need to go to the Father for the strength that fills our weakness and the knowledge that fills our ignorance. We must come to Him moment by moment for all the needs that are ours. Prayer brings us into a fellowship with God that nothing else can provide.

 

Early in the morning, after having labored hard the night before, Jesus the servant is out praying. People who say, “I don’t have time to pray today” have misunderstood the whole nature of prayer. To fail to spend time in prayer is like saying on the eve of a long automobile trip, “I have so far to go that I don’t have time to put oil in the engine.” The time you spend putting your car in order is the most important element of your journey, because if you neglect it, you won’t be going far. The Lord, by His example, shows us that He understood the nature of human problems and the nature of life. He went to the source of power, fellowship, and oneness with the Father before facing the task that lay before Him.

 

Then Jesus was ready to move on to the next town, toward the place of need. People who have been touched by the gospel must never be turned back on themselves, seeking only to withdraw and have fellowship with one another. That thought was not in the heart and mind of Christ. He said, “This is why I came out” (v. 38). He was always moved by the need that lay beyond.

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