Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where He prayed. -Mark 1:35
Last week, I wrote about the importance of meeting together with other believers and being a part of a church body. That community and the horizontal relationships there bring deepness and glory to our relationship with the Lord in an irreplaceable way. But there is also a flip side of the coin. While we are absolutely to worship with God’s people, we still ought to maintain an individual relationship with our Lord, as Jesus shows by example here.
If my husband and I only saw each other in public and, at the end of each day, went to different homes for the night that would signal some very serious issues in our marriage. In the same way, it would also be worrisome if we were never together outside of the home, but only saw each other within the confines of our home. Both a public and private relationship is needed in a healthy marriage, just as it is needed in our relationship with our Lord.
For most of us, one aspect of this relationship is easier than the other. Finding a balance for both is usually where we stumble. As an introvert, I usually find that I ‘feel’ that I only have energy for one. I much prefer to spend time alone with the Lord. I have to push myself to leave the house and choose to be around others. So for me, being at church and involved in larger group settings, while rewarding, is so draining, that I tend to ignore the other side of my relationship with the Lord on those days. Instead of pushing through to spend time alone with my Lord, I collapse in on myself like a dying star. For an extrovert the opposite is likely true. You may thrive and be so energized by worshipping alongside others that individual devotions and prayer feel boring and perhaps like a waste of your time. You would rather be a part of daily worship service than spend 15 minutes alone with your God.
Both aspects require strict spiritual disciple and constant self-preaching to maintain, but let’s focus on what the individual side necessitates. I am not a morning person, so this whole “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up” part is kind of a bummer to me. I wish the verse said that daily, the Lord will put all of my kids down for naps at the same time so that I have plenty of time mid-day to spend time with the Lord. But it doesn’t. And it doesn’t say that the Lord will provide longer paid lunch times for my husband so he can spend time in prayer during his day either. It says, “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up.” I hope that you love mornings, that waking up in the dark gives you joy. But if it doesn’t, I hope that you will still do the hard work and discipline yourself to fiFs.
“It’s in the moments alone with Him that we often hear His voice calling us clearly to Himself.”
Is it hard to give up those precious moments of sleep? Oh my goodness, yes. Is it worth it? Absolutely. And the more you push yourself to wake up and be alone with your God, the more you will find the energy and renewal that He brings in those moments. The headings of the passages in Mark 1 are “Jesus Heals Many,” “Jesus Prays in a Solitary Place,” “Jesus Heals a Man with Leprosy.” I can’t promise you that if you pray in a solitary place, you’ll be able to bookend it with healing. But it shows an interesting pattern in Jesus’ life. Solitary prayer and time with His Father was essential to His work among people. If Jesus thought it was a good idea for Himself, don’t you think we’d be crazy not to follow in His footsteps? We need time to be alone with God. Time to confess our sins, time to praise His majesty, time to cry tears of gratitude for His grace and express thankfulness for His blessings. Time to plead with Him for mercy, to yell at Him in frustration and to weep in our vulnerable mess. That time with Him will prepare us, strengthen us and guard us as we head into our day, into our world and our work.
