Before Dawn
What Jesus did before the day could ask anything of him.
On the hour before the noise starts.
The big idea
Jesus got to his Father before anyone else got to him.
Opening scripture
“Very early, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, went out to a solitary place, and prayed there.”
What does “Before Dawn” walk through?
Long Before Daylight
Mark 1:35 · KJV
And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.
In plain English
Very early, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, went out to a solitary place, and prayed there.
Read The Verse Before It
The night before, the whole town had gathered at the door and he healed until late. He was exhausted. He still got up in the dark — not because he had spare capacity, but because he did not.
A Whole Night
Luke 6:12 · KJV
And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.
In plain English
In those days he went out to the mountain to pray, and spent the whole night praying to God.
“The first voice you hear shapes how you hear every voice after it.”
In The Morning, Directed
Psalms 5:3 · KJV
My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.
In plain English
In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice. In the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly.
Not A Rule, A Rhythm
Nothing here requires you to wake before dawn. What it shows is a person who refused to let the day set his agenda before he had spoken to his Father.
Pray
Father, let me come to you before I come to everything else. Amen.
Write it down
What gets your first attention in the morning?
First things first
Before the noise. Even for a minute.
Which passages does this journey use?
3 passages, drawn from Mark 1:35, Luke 6:12, Psalms 5:3. Every verse appears here in the King James text with a plain-English line beside it, so you can read it without a commentary open. Allow about 6 minutes for the whole thing, or 7 short sittings.
- Mark 1:35
- Luke 6:12
- Psalms 5:3
Read any of these in full on the complete KJV, or look the wording up independently at Blue Letter Bible.
More in The Habits of Jesus
All The Habits of Jesus →He Withdrew To Lonely Places
The habit underneath everything Jesus did.
He Slept In The Storm
Rest that does not wait for calm.
Interruptible
Jesus kept getting stopped, and kept stopping.
He Asked Questions
Jesus asked far more than he answered.
He Was Never In A Hurry
Urgency was not one of his tools.
He Touched People
Presence you could feel.