Solitude with Purpose

Many scholars believe Jesus woke up around 4:00 a.m. to pray after the busiest day recorded in His life. His day was filled with selecting disciples, driving out demons, teaching and performing miracles, including healing Peter’s mother-in-law.

As the sun set, the whole town gathered at Peter’s mother-in-law’s house, where those who were sick and demon-possessed were brought to Jesus. Jesus had to be exhausted! He had every reason to sleep in that morning. His weekly calendar was extremely busy, and He was scheduled to travel to the nearby villages to preach in their synagogues, drive out demons and perform additional miracles. 

Jesus made it a priority to commune with His Father in a solitary place. Prayer was a priority for the Savior of the World. He had a consistent connection with the Father through the spiritual discipline of prayer. His prayer time with the Father was intentional and uninterrupted. But being human, this required effort for Jesus to wake up early in the morning before anyone else.

He found a place that was so secluded that the disciples had to really search to find Him. Many times, Jesus prayed for Himself, for His disciples, and for all who would believe in Him during His private prayer time with the Father. Jesus models for us what it means to pray for ourselves, our teammates, coaches and athletes (domestically and internationally). We have the privilege of partnering with God to pray for the Kingdom to expand across the world. During your uninterrupted times of prayer, pray that God will send laborers into the world for a ripe harvest. Pray that God would transform the hearts of coaches and athletes across the globe. And lastly, pray that God will give you a heart for the nations.