Withdrawing to Pray

Lynn McChlery November 03, 2026 3 0

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Mark 1: 35-37 (NIV-UK)

35 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. 36 Simon and his companions went to look for him, 37 and when they found him, they exclaimed: ‘Everyone is looking for you!’

Jesus habitually withdrew from others to pray alone (Luke 5:16). Sometimes this was highly inconvenient for his disciples. In Mark 1, Jesus’ healing and deliverance ministry was attracting crowds. Even after sunset, the whole town still gathered in anticipation at his door, perhaps to wait all night. First thing in the morning, the disciples have a public relations problem: an expectant crowd of people, and no Jesus. Keen to placate the crowd, they quickly disperse to search Jesus’ known haunts and get him back on the job. Jesus’ response is calm, decisive and wholly unexpected. Healings are cancelled today. He’s off to preach.

It could be comical to imagine how the disciples conveyed that message to the crowd. By making prayer his first priority, Jesus’ other priorities fell clearly into place. In solitude, Jesus left behind the demands of the crowd and the expectations of the disciples, in order to align himself again with the Father. Perspective was restored, distractions removed, and his sense of purpose strengthened.

In prayer, can we get away somewhere with Jesus today? “Are you tired, weary, burned out on religion? Come away with me…I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me, see how I do it.” (Matthew 11:28, The Message.) His biographer records that Eugene Peterson, who translated these verses, spent two hours early each morning in quiet with God, in his basement to get away from his family! Where (or when) can I find a quiet place for prayer?

Prayer:

Lord, in my praying imagination I watch as you rise from bed in the pre-dawn darkness, as you dress quietly and slip out of the house. I go with you, seeing your sandals on the track and hearing the cicadas begin to wake. As we sit down together and watch for the sun to rise, I simply enjoy your company. Then I recall the people and situations that await me in the rest of today, naming them before you. “Lord, walk with me and work with me today. Show me how you do it. Amen.”