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

All children, especially those with siblings, cherish one-on-one time with their parents. It’s nice to have their full attention and draw closer to them in those moments. Jesus cherished His time alone with His Father. But it didn’t just happen spontaneously in the course of a day or come along by chance. Jesus always took special effort to spend quality time in prayer. And we can follow His example to draw closer to God in our own prayer lives.

First of all, Jesus made time to pray first thing in the morning. But it wasn’t just the first thing He did. He got up “a great while before day” so He could have lots of time for prayer. Sometimes we may try to fit prayer into our schedules instead of planning our schedule around prayer time. But if we make it a priority and set aside special and sufficient time for it, it will be a much richer experience in our lives and our relationship with God. And quality prayer time each morning can prepare us for all that the coming day might hold.

Jesus also found the right place to pray. He had to leave the place He had slept in order to get to a solitary place, a place free from unwanted noise and distraction, where no one else was around. Here He could concentrate and listen. We, too, need a place to be alone with God. If we can’t find a place at home, we may need to go out and find somewhere solitary to pray. We may need to create a solitary environment by removing distractions that draw our attention from focusing on God.

And at just the right time, in just the right place, Jesus simply prayed. We may not know what the conversation was or the words He spoke. The important thing was going before His Father for wisdom, strength and encouragement in doing His will each day. At our set times, in our set places, let us simply open our hearts to the Father in prayer, enjoying the sweet communion we can find there.

Jesus didn’t wait for the perfect moment to come along to pray. He deliberately sought out a place and time to be with His Father alone. It was these moments that helped sustain Him through His long days of ministry, and it was certainly a habit in His life. And if we seek to maintain an active prayer life with our precious Father, we will find wells of strength to aid us in all we might do each day in serving Him.