Early in the morning, well before sunrise, Jesus rose and went to a deserted place where he could be alone in prayer. 

Mark 1:35 CEB

You don't have to be up too early to beat the sunrise at the moment, but Jesus was up well before the sun, and headed away. 

Away from the usual.

Away from distractions.

If you'd gone into where he was sleeping his phone would've been left by his bed...

This was a deliberate effort to be alone to pray.

Jesus is staying with his team, he's had the whole town at the door asking to see him, bringing those who need healing, and early the next day Jesus goes out alone.

To pray.

For some time.

I don't do this very often. 

Mark is simply recording what Jesus did and leaving it with us to consider, so I'm wondering, if this is something Jesus did, perhaps its a practice I should follow.

If Jesus needed this, maybe I do too.

New practices take practice, so might need to be done more than once. 

Is the wilderness important?

Is going out in the dark important?

Mark just tells us what Jesus did, so it seems the invitation is to follow Jesus' practice too. 

It's an invitation to solitude with God.

Communion with Him, His world, 

to give space and time away from the pressures and decisions and stuff of life.

An invitation to stillness.

To quiet.

To reorient, reenergise, renew.

#gospelofMark 

#invitation 

#takethenextstep