Start your busy day with time set aside to spend with God

In the first chapter of Mark’s gospel, we get a glimpse into the daily activities of Jesus’ life. In this one day, Jesus is teaching in the synagogue, healing Peter’s mother-in-law, healing the sick, and casting out demons. We see him pushing through the crowds, doing more healing, and casting out more demons.

Crowds are seeking him with their constant demands accompanied by the constant noise and excitement. Jesus labored until the end of the day when fatigue got the best of him. He found a place to sleep and collapsed in totally exhaustion. This sounds like one of our days.

Before sunrise, Jesus arose and quietly left the house to find a lonely place to pray. He wanted fellowship with his Father before he ventured out on his demanding mission that day.

We have no idea how long Jesus remained in that lonely place. All we know is that, after awhile, Peter and friends went looking for him. When they found him, they said, “Everyone is looking for you.” People wanted to hear him talk, to tap into his strength, to find hope, to seek direction for living, to secure healing. Their hopes and expectations put great demands upon him.

What important lesson should we learn from this passage? Jesus gives us an example of how to get ready for each day. We, too, have many demands made upon us: family demands, work demands, school demands, service demands, church demands, social demands, and so on.

When Jesus arose early and went to a quiet place to pray, he showed us how to get our priorities straight. He taught us the importance of starting the day by having fellowship with God. What could be more important than that?

I know in my own prayer life, I am better or worse depending whether I pray upon the time I spent in prayer. If my prayer life goes down, my whole life goes down. If my prayer life increases, my life as a whole goes up with it. I discover what the Creator said in psalm 46, “Be still and know that I am God.” This is how someone’s prayer period might look:

• Stop for a few moments as you approach the place of prayer and reflect that you are responding to an invitation of God, in whom you live and move, have your being, and into whose presence you are now entering in a special and intimate way.

• Find the posture (kneeling, sitting, lying down, standing, pacing up and down slowly) which most helps you to pray and stick with that position. There are no right positions in prayer.

• Spend some moments quietly, peacefully and consciously opening your whole self to the Holy Spirit, asking God’s Spirit to enlighten you, speak to you and guide you during this time of prayer, in which you make yourself totally available to God working in you freely.

• Beg for the grace that you are seeking. For example, to know Jesus better, to deepen your love for God, to rid yourself of negative thoughts and feeling toward another person.

• Read a passage slowly. Pause and ponder the meaning. Be attentive to what is going on inwardly. When any item absorbs your attention you should stay with it until you are satisfied. Do not skim through the matter for the sake of just completing it. Stay with that interior affection, movement or idea and “savor” it reflectively.

Prayer is simply taking time to be alone with our Creator to discover God’s will for us. When we are alone with God, we discover an inner peace, an inner restoration, inner cleansing, and a renewal of our lives. If you have not tried it, please do so.