Alone with God

“But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” Matthew 6:6

“At daybreak Jesus went out to a solitary place.”  Luke 4:42

“Each day Jesus was teaching at the temple, and each evening he went out to spend the night on the hill called the Mount of Olives.”  Luke 21:37

“When Jesus heard what had happened (the murder of John the Baptist), he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place.”  Matthew 14:13

“Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him. On reaching the place, he said to them, “Pray that you will not fall into temptation.” He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” Luke 22:39-42

Last month I wrote a devotional about the importance of spiritual exercise. In that same vein, surely one of the most important practices towards the goal of spiritual fitness is that of regular time alone with God. Time for prayer, for meditation on Scripture, for listening to and worshiping God. Jesus not only taught about time alone with God– he also set the supreme example of intentionally seeking this. In the Gospels we see that Jesus sought solitude (and God) daily, and also when he was grieving and in anguish.

We are so blessed to serve a God who longs for time with us, and who blesses us abundantly as we train ourselves to make this a priority. As Andrew Murray said, “Man needs to be alone with God, to sense again the presence and power of His holiness, of His life, and of His love. Christ on earth needed it… and how much more must this be indispensable to us! When our Lord Jesus gave the blessed command to enter our inner chamber, to shut the door and pray to our Father in secret, he gave us the promise that the Father would hear such prayers and mightily answer them.”

Prayer: Dear Lord God, You have promised that when we seek You, we will find You. Please bless our efforts to make regular time alone with You a top priority. We thank you and we love you, Amen.

Carolyn Rex