Spend Time Alone with God

“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 sun was not up and the rooster had not crowed when Jesus went out to spend some time talking with His Heavenly Father.

Early morning is a good time to spend in prayer before the demands of the day start claiming one’s attention. Jesus did not always jump out of bed and immediately start healing sick people, raising the dead and doing evangelism, even though the needs were there in the early morning. He took time to pray.

When I was a young pastor I felt like I had to “hit the ground running,” every morning and try to get the world saved before bed time and start the next day the same way. Then I began to hear old, seasoned, wise and mature pastors say that if they had their ministry to do over they would spend more time in prayer with God and Bible study and less time trying to keep the machinery of the church functioning and being at the hospital early in the morning prior to everyone’s surgery. Pastors need time with the Lord. Otherwise they are ministering in the energy of the flesh. Insist that your pastor take time to be alone with God reading the word of God and praying.

If early morning praying and devotion is good for the pastor, then it’s good for the non-pastors as well. None of has a better plan than Jesus had.