A Prayer-Dependent Life

C. Dixon (1854–1925) was a pastor, a Bible expositor, and an evangelist. He published a book series called The Fundamentals with Moody Bible Institute president R. A. Torrey. Dixon wrote on the importance of prayer, “When we depend upon man, we get what man can do; But when we depend upon prayer, we get what God can do.”

In today’s passage, we experience a day in the life of Jesus. Many were coming to hear and see Him. In fact, Mark records that “the whole town gathered at the door” (v. 33). Everyone in this town had come to see Jesus! What an overwhelming response to our Lord, a great revival of souls. It is the sort of response to Jesus we hope to see in our churches every week!

Yet, rather than relish this victory or even return immediately to revive many more souls, Jesus rose the next day to spend time alone with His Father in prayer. Here Jesus sets an important pattern for His disciples as they began the important work of fishing for men.

It was because of the needs of the people, and because of the demands of preaching and casting out demons that Jesus spent time alone in prayer. He prayed ahead of his schedule, when others were still sleeping, and in a place where He would not be interrupted. This was His practice of prayer, a model for His followers (Luke 5:16; 6:12; 9:18, 28; 11:1; 22:41–45).

As a result of His disciplined habit of prayer, Jesus was able to meet the coming demands of serving the most challenging needs. He would travel from town to town, preach in synagogue after synagogue, encounter crowds of people—including many possessed by demons. But the demands of preaching, crowds, and demons were no match for a God-infused, prayer-dependent life.

Pray with Us

Please include in your prayers Moody’s vice president of Human Resources, Debbie Zelinski. Her leadership, along with her team’s dedicated service, helps every employee use their professional expertise for God’s glory.

BY Dr. Eric C. Redmond

Dr. Eric C. Redmond serves as a professor of Bible at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago and as associate pastor of adult ministries at Calvary Memorial Church in Oak Park, Ill. He is married to Pam and they have five children. He is the author of Say It!  Celebrating Expository Preaching in the African American Tradition (Moody Publishers), Where Are All the Brothers? Straight Answers to Men's’ Questions about the Church (Crossway), a commentary on Jonah in the Christ-Centered Exposition Series (B&H Publishers), and a study guide on Ephesians in the Knowing the Bible series (Crossway).