And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed. And Simon and they that were with him followed after him. And when they had found him, they said unto him, All men seek for thee. And he said unto them, Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also: for therefore came I forth.
Before going forth to fulfill his mission of preaching in the next towns, Jesus “departed into a solitary place and there prayed.” Early rising and secret prayer in preparation for or in conjunction with ministry is certainly a good pattern to follow. Psalm 5:3 reads, “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 the early morning it also may be easier to pray with our eyes focused on God rather than on the circumstances of the day.
1 minute x 365 days = 1 year of working your way through Bible passages from most NT chapters in chronological order and some from the OT.