A SOLITARY PLACE
Play Audio
If you prefer listening to today’s Bible guide reading, play this audio file.
If the audio bar is not appearing, click here to play the audio.
Opening Prayer
Holy Spirit, thank you for your work in me that enabled me to embrace the gospel and live for Jesus. As I read the Scriptures, please use them to equip me for every good work.
Read MARK 1:35—39
For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.
Mark
Mark 1
35 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.
36 Simon and his companions went to look for him,
37 and when they found him, they exclaimed: “Everyone is looking for you!”
38 Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else–to the nearby villages–so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.”
39 So he traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons.
Reflect
Where does prayer fit into your daily life and routine? What do you talk with God about? Is it a conversation or a monologue? How are you feeling about all this?Why would Jesus need to pray? Surely his identity as God’s Son would mean real-time access to his Father’s heart and mind. Yet we often see how Jesus sought solitude and quiet to converse with his Father. It is also evident that the disciples knew this was happening. What is going on here?
We find a rhythm in Mark’s gospel of intense action (often with crowds of people) followed by moments of intimacy. Jesus invades the whole space to teach and heal. Then he withdraws to teach his disciples and pray. One seems to drain his energy; the other recharges it. One is about proclamation, the other about relationship. Both are integral to his mission.
Jesus is a very conscientious role model. This rhythm is part of what it means to love and serve him today. We are called to be salt and light in a fallen world. That demands purposeful action and will often be tough. We are also called to prioritize our relationship with the Father and our brothers and sisters in Christ. That will also require determination and will often be tough. However, both are intended to be a source of genuine joy and strength.
Apply
God yearns to meet with you. He loves the sound of your voice. Do you need to do anything to grasp hold of that truth?
Closing prayer
Thank you, Lord, that you welcome my expressions of praise and thanksgiving. I am grateful, too, as well as amazed, that you gladly receive my words of doubt, of fear, and frustration. You never tire of hearing my voice!
Book and Author Intros
Extras
Click here to sign up to receive the EXTRAs via email each quarter.
© 2026 Scripture Union U.S.A. All rights reserved. Reproduction of the whole or any part of the contents without written permission is prohibited.
Discovery is published in the USA under license from Scripture Union England and Wales, Trinity House, Opal Court, Opal Drive, Fox Milne, Milton Keynes, MK15 0DF.