Head: Know God’s Word | Heart: Love God | Hands: Follow God’s Way

Read Mark 1

Head

“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” Mark 1:35

Are you a morning person? Do you love to wake up before the sun rises? Can you wake up naturally, without an alarm, and hop out of bed super early each day? Do you love to think deeply first thing when you get up? Do you thank your parents when they wake you up extra early on school days and for church? I bet a small percentage of people reading this just answered yes to those questions. Most mornings are rough, but even harder when it’s a busy time of the year.

Mark 1 is our reading for today. Every bit of the chapter is full of information that I would ask you to read with your family. You can even use some “Bible Study Tips” below to examine each section of this chapter. This chapter moves quickly and covers a lot of important parts of Jesus’ early ministry. But I want to put our focus on chapter 1, verse 35, today.

Heart

It always blows my mind that Jesus spent so much time in prayer (and it usually convicts me of how far I have fallen away from my daily quiet times and how casual I have become about living the life Jesus modeled for me). He was Jesus, the Son of God, and yet He made time for prayer. If there was ever anyone in the history of the earth who didn’t need to spend time praying, I would think it would be Jesus. Not only did He pray, but He also made time to pray “very early in the morning, while it was still dark.” Y’all, that’s early. Not only did He get up to pray, but He went away to do it! He didn’t roll out of bed and stumble to the nearest couch to pray. He went where there would be no distractions, and what I would imagine was a place of solitude. That’s dedication and taking your quiet time very seriously.

Hands

Use the Bible Study tips below for a deeper study of chapter Mark 1:35.

Bible Study Tips

• Get a parent or older adult to help you find at least three different Bible translations of verse 1:35. Write down the words that differ from your translation of the Bible.
• Talk about the words used to describe Jesus’ morning quiet time. 
• How can you apply these verses to your daily quiet time?
• Make a plan with your family to wake up early and spend some time with God in prayer and in His Word daily. Stick with it for a week and see the difference in your life!

Prayer: God, thank You for modeling for us how to pray and spend the first part of our day with You. It may be hard at times, but help me to never give up meeting with You each day. I want to know You more and what Your plan is for my life. In Jesus’ Name, I pray. Amen.