Mark 1:35-38 “And in the morning, a great while before day, Jesus rose and went out to a lonely place, and there He prayed.  And Simon and those who were with Him pursued Him and they found Him and said to Him, “Everyone is searching for You.” And He said to them, “Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also; for that is why I came out.” 

The disciples who moved so intimately with Jesus during His earthly ministry, keenly observed His private, public and prayer life. Obviously awestruck by His consistent prayer life, they came up to Him and asked, “Lord, teach us how to pray” (Luke 11:1 – 3). 

Mark 1:35 records, that on one such occasion, He rose up a great while before day and went out alone to seek His Father. While still in prayer, His disciples came in search of Him excitedly, to inform that everyone in the town were searching for Him to minister.  Jesus, who waited on God for direction through prayer, knew that God’s agenda for Him that day was to visit the neighbouring towns and preach the good news of the Kingdom there. Prayer, which helped Jesus recognize His Father’s will for Him, made Him decline the disciples’ suggestion straightaway. Lesser mortals in the ministry would have abruptly grabbed this opportunity to preach to a bigger crowd searching for them. 

Getting to know the direction in which God wants us to move every day, should be the top priority in a Christian's life. Jesus could have proceeded to minister to the waiting crowd but obedience to His Father’s will, hindered Him. Ministry ‘Jesus style’ - is to simply accept God's Will and accomplish His Work with His Power.     

Thought for the day – 'Prayer does the job of a wiper in a moving car. It helps the driver to see the road more clearly'.