Praying When You’re Alone

Scripture — Mark 1:35

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

Devotion

As you probably know, I’ve been working on a Life for Leaders devotional series called “Can’t Do It Alone.” Based on a wide variety of biblical passages, I’ve been showing that we cannot live a full, fruitful, and faithful Christian life all by ourselves. We were created in and for community. We were saved in and for community. And we are to live as disciples of Jesus in and for community.

But this does not mean that it is never right to spend time alone. Or to be more accurate, it is not wrong to take time away from people to spend it alone with God. Sometimes it is right and necessary to be alone for a while in this way.

Perhaps nothing in Scripture makes this point more powerfully than the behavior of Jesus. In the beginning of the Gospel of Mark, for example, Jesus was actively preaching the good news of the kingdom of God, healing the sick, and casting out demons. After a particular busy ministry session, Jesus withdrew from the crowds and even from his own disciples: “In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed” (Mark 1:35). Jesus was so much in demand that the only way he could get time alone was to get up extra early and head for the countryside outside of Capernaum, where he spent time in prayer.

The gospels indicate that Jesus did this sort of thing often. In Luke 5, as Jesus’s popularity was increasing, we’re told that “he would withdraw to deserted places and pray” (Luke 5:16). The original Greek underscores the repetitive nature of Jesus’s activity. He didn’t go out by himself to pray only once. Rather, “he would withdraw” regularly to be alone with his Heavenly Father.

Thus, the example of Jesus teaches us, on the one hand, just how much we “can’t do it alone” as Christians. We’ve seen this in previous devotions in this series. Following the example of Jesus, we need to be in deep, intentional community with others who follow him. Yet, like our Lord, we also need times of solitude, times when we can speak at length to God as well as listen to God’s still, small voice.

When you need to get alone time with God, what do you do? In my experience, I find that people answer this question quite differently. Some folks get up extra early in the morning to spend quiet time in prayer. Others are most attentive to the Lord late at night while most folks are sleeping. Years ago, I read a book by a man who woke up in the middle of the night to spend an extended time in prayer before going back to sleep. I guarantee you that would not work for me! Though I get time alone with God most mornings, if I really need to quiet my heart so that I can pay attention to what the Lord is saying to me, I need to get away from my usual surroundings, usually to a place of natural beauty and quiet. Walking helps me to focus on God. Others need to sit, stand, kneel, or even lie face down before the Lord.

So, when it comes to talking to God and discerning God’s guidance for our lives, Scripture teaches us to value times with other believers and times of solitude. Indeed, we need the input, perspective, and prayers of our sisters and brothers in Christ. And we need times when we can speak freely with the Lord and calm our hearts to hear God’s voice. Both experiences are essential for a full, fruitful, and faithful Christian life.

Banner image by Diana Simumpande on Unsplash.

Find all Life for Leaders devotions here. Explore what the Bible has to say about work at the unique website of our partners, the Theology of Work Project’s online commentary. Reflection on today’s Life for Leaders theme can be found here: The First Days of the Movement (Mark 1:21-45).

Subscribe to Life for Leaders

Sign up to receive a Life for Leaders devotional each day in your inbox. It’s free to subscribe and you can unsubscribe at any time.