Do I Have to Go to a Deserted Place to Pray?

Scripture — Mark 1:35 (NRSV)

In the morning, while it was still very dark, [Jesus] got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed.

Devotion

In last week’s devotions, I considered the question, “Do I have to get up early to pray?” I believe that the biblical answer to this question is “No,” though I would never discourage anyone from the excellent discipline of getting up early to pray. Yet, those who insist that all Christians must get up before the sun to pray are wandering into legalism that doesn’t fit with the example or message of Jesus.

In my experience, the well-intended folk who insist that we must follow Jesus’s example by praying in the early morning do not often demand that we go “out to a deserted place,” even though that’s what Jesus did (1:35). The Greek word translated as “deserted” (eremos) actually means “isolated, desolate, deserted.” It’s the standard Greek word for “desert” or “wilderness.” So, the point of Mark 1:35 isn’t just that Jesus found a place to be alone. Rather, he went out into the wilderness near Capernaum in order to be isolated and to be in a place where people often encounter God with particular intimacy.

Ironically, this is something I can get excited about, even suggesting that all Christians do likewise (which I won’t do, however). Why? Because, though I’m not genetically wired to be a morning person, I am a lover of nature. If I want to spend an extended time in conversation with the Lord, I will go to my own version of the wilderness. Until recently, my “wilderness” was the mountainous region just to the north of Pasadena, California, where I live. Unfortunately, the Eaton Fire decimated those mountains, so most of the trails are closed. Therefore, I’m making an extra effort to get to a suitable wilderness. For me, hiking in the mountains is a perfect place for deep prayer.

For me, that is. I recognize that this would not be everyone’s cup of tea. (I’m glad for this, because if thousands of Christians were hiking and praying in my “wilderness,” it wouldn’t be an ideal place for prayer anymore.) My point, once again, is that we should surely imitate Jesus by finding times and places to be alone with the Lord. But we miss the point if we focus on the details.

So, whether you head for the hills, sit by a lake, go to a retreat center, sit in an empty church sanctuary, or find a quiet corner in your own home, by all means, follow the example of Jesus. Take time to be alone with God in prayer. You need it . . . and God desires it.

Find all Life for Leaders devotions here. Explore what the Bible has to say about work at the High Calling archive, hosted by the unique website of our partners, the Theology of Work Project. Reflection on today’s Life for Leaders theme can be found here: Holy Rest for Holy Work.