Our Daily Bread - Spiritual Life BasicsSample

Where do we go to learn how to access a satisfying prayer connection with our heavenly Father? The answer lies in observing the prayer life of His Son.

I. Jesus’ Priority of Prayer

In Mark 1:35-39, we see the priority Jesus put on prayer. After an exhausting time of healing sick and demon-possessed people late into the night, Jesus woke early in the morning, went to a solitary place, and prayed. It seems that Jesus used this time for regaining His spiritual center. Peter interrupted Jesus’ devotional time to express the further demands of the needy crowd. Rather than responding to the immediate need, the Lord reaffirmed a commitment of greater outreach in other cities.

A closer look at the text will show the inner workings of our Lord’s own devotional life.

A. Seeking Isolation and Communion

“Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed” (Mark 1:35 NKJV).

Why did Jesus Christ need a quiet time? We are all aware of our own weaknesses and sins. The need for cleansing and renewal is often the felt need of the committed believer. But the Bible teaches the sinlessness of our Lord—He “Who knew no sin” (2 Corinthians 5:21). So why did Jesus go to a solitary place while the disciples slept?

During His ministry on earth, the Lord Jesus chose to limit the exercise of His divine attributes. He was fully God, but He chose to depend on the Father and the indwelling Spirit working through Him. He did this to show us how we are to depend on God. That dependence can be seen in the way Jesus sought times alone with His Father. The term translated “solitary place” means “a desert, wasteland, uninhabited region.”

After such dynamic emotional interactions as healing the crippled and sick, Christ needed solitude to make communion with the Father most effective.

The walk of faith requires coming repeatedly to God for His unique guidance. Jesus’ time alone with God redirected His vision from local needs to greater outreach.

B. Listening to God’s Direction Amid Distraction

“Simon and those who were with Him searched for Him. When they found Him, they said to Him, ‘Everyone is looking for You.’ But He said to them, ‘Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also, because for this purpose I have come forth’” (Mark 1:36-38 NKJV).

The word found in verse 37 is better translated “hunted down.” Can you imagine a more annoying scenario? Peter thought he knew best how Christ should spend His day. And he was even willing to interrupt the Lord’s prayer time to offer his advice. The need Simon Peter was expressing was clearly an urgent one: “Everyone is looking for you.”

No one active in ministry (either full time or as a volunteer) has escaped the pressure of certain ministry “interest groups.” Their needs are often valid, and they sometimes have representatives who plead for immediate attention. Yet look at what Jesus did. He was not worried about being perceived as someone who wasn’t responsive to immediate needs. Having only a limited amount of time and energy, He had received direction from His Father to go elsewhere.

You would think Jesus’ quiet time would have made Him more sensitive to the people right there with Him. But to meet only needs directly in front of us is to ignore God’s all-encompassing concern for those who are lost. Time alone with His Father brought Jesus back to His purpose for coming into the world: “to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10 NKJV).

C. Carrying Out Application

“He was preaching in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and casting out demons” (Mark 1:39 NKJV).

It’s so easy to skip over the significance of the last verse of this section. It’s not just a review of what was said in the previous verse. Not by a long shot! Verse 39 is the payoff to the whole passage. Jesus actually did what He said He was going to do. He went to the synagogues and preached.

The word preaching is used over and over again within the pages of the New Testament as the apostles duplicated the Lord’s pattern for spreading the good news in expanding circles of outreach. Jesus’ target area for ministry was expanded to include “all Galilee.” Later, as His disciples followed in His steps, it would extend “to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

It’s important to apply what comes out of our prayer time. Meaningful fellowship with Christ comes when we follow His example (1 Peter 2:21) and apply His Word in the power of the Spirit.

II. One Helpful Approach to Prayer

An acrostic that serves as a guide to a balanced prayer time is the word ACTS. Each letter represents a key component of responding back to God in prayer: Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication. Let’s examine each of these briefly to see how each fits into a vital prayer life.

A. Adoration: Worshiping God for Who He Is

As you reflect on what you have learned from the study, tell God what you appreciate about His character. The word worship in English originally was spelled “worthship” and means to recognize the dignity and merit of something. It is what angels and redeemed humans express to God in heaven, and it’s our privilege to do so on earth: “You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power” (Revelation 4:11 NKJV).

B. Confession: Acknowledging Sin

When we receive Christ as Savior and Lord, we are cleansed in our standing before God from all sins—past, present, and future. However, we still have a sin nature that is capable of disobedience. When we choose to disobey God, our hearts can become spiritually callous. Therefore, to keep our hearts open to God’s presence, we need to periodically confess our sin to God. The word confession in the New Testament means to “say the same thing as, or agree with” God. This is the time when no attempts at rationalization should be made. Instead, we must be open and honest with God. The result will be a sense of cleansing and empowerment that only the blood of Christ can bring.

C. Thanksgiving: Thanking God for His Grace

Gratefulness is high on the list of virtues in the Christian life. In recording mankind’s fall away from God, Paul provides a list of sins that characterize the descent into depravity. Surprisingly, the apostle adds to the list: “nor were thankful” (Romans 1:21 NKJV).

To be a believer in Jesus Christ is to be a recipient of God’s unmerited favor. As we stand at the floodgate of God’s blessing, we are to acknowledge those grace gifts whenever they come to us. This can be a great opportunity for “counting your blessings” at a set time each day.

D. Supplication: Asking God for Things

Children can be incredibly needy. Yet, the loving parent enjoys meeting those needs. Have you ever noticed how much fun it is to delight small children with unexpected gifts? Jesus put this idea into spiritual perspective when He said, “If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? . . . If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” (Luke 11:11,13 NKJV).

Supplication is making needs known to our Father in heaven Who cares and is eager to answer according to His will.