I love the Gospel of Mark. All the Gospels are great, but I really enjoy Mark’s Gospel.

Each Gospel has a different viewpoint or appeal. Matthew is written to Jewish audience, so there are a ton of Old Testament quotes and references.  Luke is written to a non-Jewish (Gentile) audience so there are lots of first hand accounts from witnesses to what  happened.  John is a book of theology, seeking to answer not who, what, when, and where, but why.

But I like Mark maybe the most. In Mark, probably written to a Roman audience, Jesus is always on the move. He’s always on the go. He’s always doing something.The word immediately is mentioned over and over and over again throughout this Gospel.

You can almost see Jesus getting a cup of coffee and taking off, ready to defeat the powers of evil that day.  For some reason, that appeals to me 🙂

But, listen to what Jesus did first. This is from Mark 1:

Before daybreak the next morning, Jesus got up and went out to an isolated place to pray. Later Simon and the others went out to find him. When they found him, they said, “Everyone is looking for you.” But Jesus replied, “We must go on to other towns as well, and I will preach to them, too. That is why I came.” So he traveled throughout the region of Galilee, preaching in the synagogues and casting out demons.

Jesus knew what He was called to do. That is why He came.  He had a calling, to reconcile the word to God, to call each of us into a relationship through Him with God the Father by the power of Holy Spirit.  He knew His purpose and His calling upon the earth.

And He knew that accomplish that, prayer was essential.  He knew He had to pray.  He knew He must pray.  He knew that His prayer life was vital to His ministry.

And He was Jesus.  You know, the very Son of God. And prayer matter to Him.

How much should prayer matter to us?  How vital must prayer be to us?  How important should it be in our lives?

Yes, we’ve got work to do. There are things God is calling us to. There are things that God has before us today.

But, the most important work to do is prayer. Today, before we can do anything for God, we must take time to pray.  To listen. To search. To seek.

Today, may we do the work set before us. Today may we pray.