“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 (NIV)
The key to resisting stress is what I do the least: spend time alone with God. This simple but powerful habit is essential for building a resilient spirit and managing chronic stress.
Prayer is a great stress reliever. It’s a decompression chamber, where I can release the stress of living up to others’ expectations. It’s how I unload my burdens and admit I can’t carry them on my own. It’s where I am reminded that God is ready and willing to help me with every stressful thing in life. It’s therapeutic.
How do I develop the habit of spending time alone with God? Habits are developed through practice and repetition. It’s not a habit unless I do it over and over again, until it happens regularly and consistently.
Jesus developed spiritual habits. The Bible says in Luke 22:39 that it was Jesus’ habit to go to the Mount of Olives to pray. And Mark 1:35 says, “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” (NIV).
Jesus was convinced that, no matter how busy he was, he needed time alone with God to pray. I have times like this in my life. But do I ever slow down and get quiet before God so I can reflect and be renewed? To be a resilient person, I have to develop the habit of spending time with God.
While word spread about Jesus and huge crowds of people came to hear him speak and be healed by him, he still made his time alone with God a habit. The Bible says, “Jesus often slipped away to be alone so he could pray” (Luke 5:16 NCV). If Jesus felt the need to frequently leave the crowd and get alone with God, then think about how much more I must need that.
Because noise often causes stress, I need to start my morning with God instead of with my phone or TV. Be still, be quiet, and be open to the work God wants to do in me as I make a habit of meditating on his Word and being in his presence.
In Summary:
Mark 1:35 highlights a pivotal discipline in the life of Jesus: deliberately retreating to a solitary place in the early morning darkness to pray, right in the midst of surging demands, public attention, and heavy ministry expectations. True resilience and stress management do not stem from running harder on the treadmill of external demands, but from building a disciplined, repeated habit of entering God's presence as a "decompression chamber." While my daily routine is frequently crowded with busyness, noise, and digital inputs, Jesus modeled that solitude and prayer are not optional luxuries to indulge when time permits, but non-negotiable spiritual anchors essential for releasing burdens and leading an aligned, sustainable life.
Bottom Line:
Sustainable spiritual resilience requires intentionally withdrawing from the demands and noise of the world to anchor my identity and unload my burdens in the presence of God.
Next Step:
Implement a non-negotiable "first fifteen" morning boundary: leave your phone and screens outside my morning space tomorrow, set aside fifteen uninterrupted minutes before engaging with the day's tasks, and spend that time in silent prayer, surrender, and reflection to recalibrate my focus before the world makes demands on me.
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