When pray ?

We read : "In the morning, when it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place where he prayed" (Mark 1:35).

Jesus chooses the early morning hours to pray. Many of the most powerful men of God followed in this the example of the Lord. In the morning, the spirit is fresh and in the most favorable conditions. He is freed from all distraction and it is in the early morning hours that we can most easily realize the absolute concentration on God of all our thought, so essential to give prayer its maximum effectiveness. Moreover, when the morning hours are spent praying, the whole day is sanctified, and one receives the power to overcome the temptations and to accomplish the duties which it will comprise. One can accomplish more by praying in the early hours of the day than at any other time. Every child of God who wants to make the most of his life for Christ must set aside the first part of the day to meet God in the study of his Word and in prayer.

The first thing we should do each day is to go out alone with God to face the duties, the temptations and the work of the day and receive from God the necessary strength. We must obtain victory before the hour of trial, temptation or service comes. It is in the secret place of prayer that we must fight our battles and win our victories.

Luke brings us a light as to the moment ; where to pray. We read : "At that time Jesus went down to the mountain to pray; he spent the night praying to God" (Luke 6:12). Here we see Jesus praying at night, spending the whole night in prayer. We do not know if it was a regular habit of our Lord ; we do not even know if this happened frequently, but it is certain that he sometimes spent the whole night praying. Here too it is good to follow in the footsteps of the Master.

Jeremy Sourdril