Prayer is the busiest work of all duty.

Text : Mark 1:35 In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and
went away to a secluded place, and was praying there (NASB).
Pericope : Mark 1:14-39
Subject : What was Jesus doing early in the morning at the solitary place?
Complement : Jesus was praying
Idea : Jesus was praying in the early morning at the solitary place
Homiletical idea: The only source of strength for Jesus in doing the ministry is prayer
Context : Jesus’ busy ministry in Galilee. During Sabbath morning was teaching in the synagogue, at
Simon’s house at the day and also healing Simon’s mother-in-law, healing the sick and
casting out demons at the door after sunset, and finally went out from the house to pray in
the early morning at the solitary place.
KIAS : At the end of the sermon, I want my hearers to live a balanced-life ministry with God
through prayer. Even though they are busy in doing God’s work and also busy in prayer as
their priority time with God for the power of the ministry and the presence of Christ in the
ministry.

INTRODUCTION

PRAYER is the not the preparation of the work, it is the work! Have you ever wonder why Jesus need to
pray, while busy doing His ministry on earth? I remember one of my busy day in doing City Hope impact in
Valencia city two months ago (August, 2018) with the nursing students. The activity was initiated by the
MS. Our group was assigned around Roy Plaza to distribute tracts, exchange fruits with Cigarette, offer free
BP checkup. We met one of Muslim family, they sold second-hand clothes. When they saw us, they look at
us such a dangerous stranger, but when introduced ourselves to them and told them we are here to give
free BP checkup, one of the Muslim sailor move fast to call her family, friends and relatives for free-BP
checkup. We are become very popular and known to the people, more and more people wanted us
checkup for them. Because so many people there so we finished only in that one place, and the more
worse in that day was we forget to pray for the work and the for people that we were reaching for Christ.

For Jesus, prayer is the first duty, the way of life, the breath to the soul. Compare to the busy work, for
Jesus, prayer is must be the busy work!
Open your Bible to the book of Mark 1:35 “In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got
up, left the house, and went away to a secluded (solitary) place, and was praying there”. Let me ask you
question “What was Jesus doing in the early morning at the solitary place?”—Jesus was praying. Let us
pray!

EXPLAIN:
In His busy activities of the day, Jesus was busy also in prayer. Prayer was always be a personal,
priority and privacy for Christ to commune with God. In this context, we know that the beginnings of
Jesus’s ministry, He had a very busy schedule in teaching, healing and preaching. But one thing above all
things for Christ is that He never forgets to pray. The Bible says in Mark 1: 35 “In the early morning, while
it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there”.
When it comes to prayer, time is important. Early in the morning before any agendas in life of the
day Jesus went to meet God in prayer. How often do you pray my friends? Many of us are always busy in
our daily works, especially in the Lord’s work and we end up our day without any strength from God…but
look! Jesus our God how busy He is! He was still praying. Because without living connection with the
Father, His source of strength in preaching, healing and teaching all be in vain. Here the word “was
praying” is in the imperfect tense—it means that ongoing action in the past, Jesus was spending His time
continually throughout early in the morning hours to pray. Here, the Bible says “It was still dark”, in this
context, Mark means that the last watch of the night from 3:00 to 6:00 A.M. Oh, how Jesus in need of God
in His ministry on earth. If Jesus is in need of God through prayer, how much more about us are in need of
Him to empower us to live and do His ministry. We have been given clear instruction, when to pray—
before we rise in the morning “the very first outbreathing of the soul in the morning should be for the
presence of Jesus” (my life today, p.15)
Not only time is important but also the place. So, where did Jesus pray? Bible says, “Jesus went
away to a solitary/lonely place”. Jesus does not only need time to meet God but He also needs a special
place to talk with God. A place which is a way from the busy noise and distraction, a place that He can
focus in talking and listening to God’s voice. My brothers, do you have a special place where you can
always meet God? I don’t know where is your solitary place to meet God? It may be at the corner of
church, or at Jubilee’s prayer garden? Or may be at your personal bedroom? And how God wish to see that
you special solitary and quiet place will strengthen your faith in God through prayer and that lonely place
is not a place of abomination of sin (sin and pray, pray and sin). One thing, I have remembered from our
beloved professor said to us during in the class of systematic theology, “How many times do we not
commit sin when we are alone? In other words, how many times do we refrain from sinning when we
are alone? Friends, May each one of us be like Jesus when we are alone in the lonely pace. There, Jesus
was praying to receive power for His ministry of preaching, healing and teaching. Anyone must have place
where he can be alone with God (Matt. 6:6)—“above all we must not neglect secret prayer”—Step to
Christ, p. 98.

Let us learn more, did Jesus really need of prayer as His priority in the ministry?

PROVE:
Mark presented Jesus as the One who was busy doing God’s work. We can see the busy events of
Jesus in His early ministry in all Galilee. Jesus was preaching the gospel of God (v14), Jesus was walking and
calling His first disciple (v 16-20), Jesus was teaching in the Synagogue on the Sabbath (v21-20), and finally,
Jesus was healing many people and casing out many demons (v31-34). All of these events were telling us
how busy Jesus is! in doing God’s ministry. As the son of God, Jesus considers Himself nothing (Jn 5:19).
According to Desire Ages p. 143, EGW wrote “the marvelous works Christ did were accomplished by the
Father’s power”, even the word he spoke were given by the father (Jn 8:28). At the center of Jesus’ busy
ministry Mark the author, see Jesus as the Man of prayer. Without prayer with God, Jesus will be tempted
to use His own power to do the ministry. Friends! Jesus learned to depend His ministry on God who the
one direct His plan, will and His purpose. And Jesus left us His example how His work is to be done! For
the ministry to be successful and effective is only when we learn to depend on God alone, who is the
source and strength of our ministry. If we neglect of prayer to God it means that commit sin of self-
dependence. We use our own energy and power to work for God than letting God’s power to use us in
the ministry. Let us learn to trust and depend on God through prayer like Jesus. Like many of the people
said “more prayer, more power”.
Throughout the chapter One of Mark we see the Satan (v13), a man with an unclean spirit (v23),
sickness and demon-possessed (v32), Jesus is aware all of these problems that He needs the presence and
the power of God in order to overcome them in the ministry.
After praying of Jesus in v 36 “Simon and his companions searched for Him” and in v 37 they found
Him, they said to Jesus, "Everyone is looking for You” and can see in the same story was recorded in Luke
4:42 “the crowds were searching for Him, and came to Him and tried to keep Him from going away from
them”. In this time, Jesus became very popular even more (v28), the disciples wanted to bring Jesus back
home for continuing the work of miracle. They seemed to think that Jesus might waist the time to again
popularity and win more followers. But Jesus cares about personal relationship with God than the
popularity. And the following verse 38 Jesus said to them, "Let us go somewhere else to the towns nearby,
so that I may preach there also; for that is what I came for." Though this text, we can see that Jesus always
seeks priority than popularity. Jesus ministry might end up with popularity from the people than to seek
God as His priority for the salvation of humankind. Jesus might get the crown from people without the
cross and acceptance without the suffering. Prayer is a must for Christ, for Christ prayer is not the
preparation for the work, but it is the work that must be done before any things else He does in His
ministry.

Brothers! I know from now and then, we will serve our God in the field. And I also have experienced that the
work of our ministry will keep us busy. And we tempt to focus on the work rather than the God of the
work.

APPLY:
As we read Mark 1:35, we know well about Jesus’ teaching and how Jesus shows us the example
what must be our priority in preparing people for His soon return. We must be busy like Christ in praying.
Jesus is the Man of busy prayer and the same time busy in God’s work. Jesus had balance-life in His
ministry.
Imagine from 3:00 to 6:00 A.M is the time for people to sleep but Christ spends this precious time
to pray. I can imagine that at the Sabbath sunset, people started to bring Him all who were ill, demon-
possessed, and the people of the whole city were at the door’s house of Peter (v 32-33). We can feel how
busy the Lord is…! The Bible says sunset and we don’t know how many hours left for Jesus to go to
sleep…and even busy, tired, late at night in doing God’s work but Jesus always keep his priority time to
meet God and seek God through His prayer personally. Through the prayer all the living sources and power
from God will strengthen His preaching, healing and teaching ministry on earth.
Doing God’s work is the life-and-death matter which we need to depend on God alone through the
power of prayer. If we want life-changing ministry with Jesus, we must make our prayer’s life to be
disciplined. We must seek priority to meet Christ rather to work without Christ in the ministry. Do not let
the busy work steal our time with Jesus, we need to renew our strength each day with God. Praying is the
breath of the soul, if our soul dies—our ministry will die (no fruits) as well. So, if, the Son of God needed to
pray, how much more we are His servants need to pray.

CONCLUSION:
When I read this text of Mark 1: 35” In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left
the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there”, now I start to realize the words
spoken by pastor Adil during the class introduction to mission, he said, “If any students were telling him
about themselves that, they are very busy in the Lord’s work”, one question comes into his mind is “ is
this student still praying?” Friends! We are like those students who always like to do God’s work and
wanted to show off the work that we have been done for the Lord. Busy in doing God’s work is not wrong
but the first thing we need to do is to balance our ministry with prayer. We must seek God and spend
time with God in order to receive power for that busy work. Remember without Christ we can’t do
nothing (John 15:5). Remember Christ is our example in the ministry and His preaching, healing and
teaching is very powerful. The question come to our mind, where does this power come from? It comes
from the living connecting with God through His prayer.
Brothers! Let us get up like Christ to pray and let us wake up from our sinning of self-dependence
in God’s ministry and go to our special place to seek Christ in prayer as our priority, Because Christ will
give us His presence and power in the ministry of serving Him. Let us, indeed, pray. This is my prayer,
Amen.