Jesus was truly such a beautiful and perfect example of devotion in His prayer life with God!
Sometimes, it is absolutely necessary to just get off alone to spend some time in our "prayer closet". Life can get messy and chaotic, and we need to retreat and regroup with the Lord. Often, finding a "solitary place" can be difficult, but it's so precious and vital-- Jesus must have known that; we see in scripture He had a habit of going off alone to commune with His Father (Matthew 14:13, 14:23, Luke 4:42)-- it's just a matter of separating yourself from the burdens and responsibilities of life for a little while (it could be ten minutes) to pray and pour out our heart to the One who's always there and listens to us, and who knows the deepest things about us that even we ourselves can't put into words.
However! This time of prayer should never take the place of the daily reading of God's Word! In any relationship, both individuals should share with one another. Prayer is me talking to God, the Bible is God talking to me. Both must happen daily!
On the other hand, it's just as important to spend moments of solitude in prayer to the Lord Jesus during times of quietness and ease... in doing so our faith is strengthened for the harder times that may be ahead. It's like building your house on the rock so that when the storm comes we are secure in Christ and we can stand strong emotionally. (Matthew 7:24-27)
Another thing I noticed in Mark 1:35 that really convicted me was the fact that Jesus rose up "early in the morning" (before the sun was up!) to hold to this commitment! I know that this is hard. Waking up earlier than you would normally have to, and sacrificing those blissful moments of sleep is NOT something we usually like doing. It comes down to your priorities... what's more important? A few minutes of doing basically nothing worthwhile, or those same moments spent investing in heavenly treasures (Proverbs 2:4,5)? The more we do it the easier it will get, and also the more we will see God blessing our sacrifice... we'll actually start to desire to rise early to start our day off before the throne of God!
One last thing I want to point out: the more time we spend with the Lord... worshiping Him, praying to Him, reading His word, feeling His presence... the more we will adore and fear Him, and the less we will fear man or desire to appease him. Whoever you spend the most time with, they are the one you begin to bond with and desire most to please.
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