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. (Mar 1:35 ESV)
Even more the report about him went abroad, and great crowds gathered to hear him and to be healed of their infirmities. But Jesus would withdraw to desolate places and pray. (Luk 5:15-16 ESV)
One day soon afterward Jesus went up on a mountain to pray, and he prayed to God all night. (Luk 6:12 NLT)
Let’s reflect briefly on these verses.
What do they describe Jesus doing? In the one instance, Jesus rises in the dark of morning, goes off alone, and prayed. In another we observe that Jesus made a practice, especially when demands on Him were numerous, to go to a lonely spot and pray. We also observe that, when momentous decisions faced Him, Jesus went away and prayed all night.
What did Jesus do in those places? It says that He prayed. But that is not much to go off of. And really, what would the sinless Son of God be doing, doing that? Here are some suggestions. Jesus was becoming aware of things. He was becoming aware of what He needed from the Father, and the Spirit of God—in other words, Jesus was becoming aware of the contours of His life, situation, emotional and spiritual condition. He was sensitizing to His fears, feelings, frustrations, and the inescapable uncertainty attended to being fully human. Jesus was also becoming aware of who the Father was for Him, as revealed in Scripture (cf. Matt 4). He was becoming aware of the presence of the Spirit in His life. He was becoming aware also of who He Himself was, and of what the Father desired, and the Spirit was leading, Him to do. All the things that God invites us to do in prayer, Jesus was doing.
But now, I can understand why I need these things, but why did Jesus need this? The simple answer is that Jesus needed to pray through these things for the same reasons you and I do. We are overwhelmed. We have unhappily been made aware of our numerous limitations. We don’t know what to do.
When I read these accounts of Jesus’ personal spiritual practice, I am most struck by how seriously Jesus took this, and how much time and energy He devoted to it. It makes me wonder, Did Jesus really need this much solitude and prayer?! I mean, Jesus?! But of course Jesus didn’t need conversation with the Father more than you or I do. He didn’t need it more, but He knew how much He needed. He knew His need, and so He dedicated Himself to this kind of practice of prayer.
And He surely didn’t need it more than I do.
What does the example of Jesus here mean for us? Let’s consider this in closing, by asking a few comparison questions. Did Jesus need more prayer than you or I? No, for by His own statement He reveals that He was in constant intimate conversation with His Father (John 5:19). Did Jesus live in a noisier, busier, world than we do? No, He lived in a world so much slower, quieter, and more agreeable to solitary contemplation than we can scarcely imagine.
Friends, it might seem appropriate at this moment to feel bad. Don’t feel guilty about not praying. That’s not what this is about. The Father doesn’t want you to feel bad. But the Father does want to spend us to spend time with Him, to be present to Him, like Jesus.
Perhaps you are like me—overdue for an extended time with God, for a trip to a solitary place, away from the crowds, demands, concerns of life, into early mornings or late nights before the Lord.
You know how I can tell, for myself, that I am overdue for such a visit? I no longer am aware of what I need from God—I’m driven about by what I can do, intend to do, have planned to do. I no longer am tuned in to my life, my self—I react, often emotionally, usually negatively. I am no longer aware of who the Father means to be for me—my devotions become irregular, Scriptural promises are forgotten, the faithfulness of God fades. I am no longer aware of the presence of the Spirit—people, to-do’s, screens, needs, loom large before me. And I am no longer aware of who I am to my Lord—child, son, beloved, new, held, strengthened, illumined, useful, good, growing. I define myself by my past, by my functions, by my aspirations. I am no longer as interested in the Lord’s will or the Spirit’s leading; I’m interested in me and mine.
Jesus got away when life was at its thickest. When His schedule was most demanding, He made the greatest effort to connect with the Father. As the cliché goes, “too busy not to pray.” It is, by the example of Jesus, most to our benefit to spend substantial, sacrificial, amounts of time in conversation with the Lord, when otherwise we might least think we can do so.
I find this challenging, to say the least. And yet it makes a great deal of sense. When my life is most full is precisely when it’s most important for me to walk through it with Jesus, and for me to be alert to His interests, and also to alert Him to my interests. It’s when I most need to know who I am, whose I am, where I am, and what’s really going on.
Do you know who you are? Whose you are? Where you are and what’s really happening in your life? Do you find yourself rushed, emotionally numb, with days passing where you don’t pray or interact with Scripture, with weeks passing where you forget the Holy Spirit exists? Jesus, fully human Jesus, realized this very human tendency lurking in Himself, and this is what He did to counter act it.
Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him. (Psa 62:5 NLT))
