Good Morning! 2010.08.30 - Mark 1:35 - Jesus Prayed Early in the Morning.

And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed. (Mark 1:35)

The question immediately rises "why did Jesus pray? It was not that he needed anything. Jesus was perfectly holy, had participated in making the morning (John 1:3) and in him dwelt all the fullness of the Godhead bodily (Colossians 2:9).

It's closely akin to the question of "why was Jesus baptized?" When He came to be baptized of John, he said "For thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness." Jesus was identifying himself with sinful mankind. Isaiah said the coming messiah would be numbered with the transgresors (Isaiah 53:12). Jesus is getting down in the ditch with us. He did not need to repent, because He was not a sinner.

I hesitate to say that Jesus did not need to pray. Obviously He did need to pray but not for the same reasons we need to pray. In John 17 we have the real "Lord's prayer." It is a prayer of communion with the Father and it is a prayer of intercession for those who were with Him at that time and for all who would repent and become his in the future.

We are told that …he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. (Hebrews 7:25)

King David knew about praying in the morning. My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up. (Psalm 5:3)

I prevented (preceeded) the dawning of the morning, and cried: I hoped in thy word. (Psalm 119:147)

We must admit that not everyone today is on the same schedule Jesus was on. We don't all go to bed early as they did then because we have electric lights that help us stay up late at night. We must have a certain amount of sleep or suffer loss of health and safety. Nevertheless, we have this strong example of seeking God's face when we first become awake. Paul Ferguson prayed more than any man I ever knew and he said he could not pray when he first awoke in the morning.

Whatever time is best for you, there must be that special time of getting alone with God and meeting with Him.

What a good verse to memorize! I memorized it many years ago and it reminds me over and over to pray. Jesus prayed!