Why do we need to get alone with God? One reason is to follow Jesus example. We will never totally comprehend Jesus as God while He was here on earth. We do know that part of His omnipresence and omniscience was overshadowed while He indwelt His earthly body. Certainly, He could not be everywhere at the same time; neither did He have all knowledge. When asked about His return, Jesus said, “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.” (Matthew 24:36) So, even though Jesus is God, He needed to get alone with His Father, God!
Imagine the setting: Mark 6:14-56 contains the following:
- John the Baptist is beheaded (14-29)
- A time of rest for Jesus and the disciples (30-33)
- Teaching and feeding of the 5,000 (34-44)
- Jesus send his disciples and then the people away (45)
- Jesus prays alone on a mountain (46)
- Jesus walks on water (47-53)
- Miracle in Gennesaret (54-56)
Seven scenarios, all concerning the activities and miracles of Jesus… except one.
And when he had sent them away, he departed into a mountain to pray. Mark 6:46
When we consider all that Jesus had done that day, we can see why He needed some time alone with His Father! Notice that He sent the crowd away. If we really want to be alone with God, we need to turn off the computer and phones, shut down Facebook, find a quiet place, and meet with God. If Jesus needed to do that, how much more is it necessary for us?
May I say that there is no power strong enough to battle this world, our own flesh, and the devil than the Word of God. There is no friend, blogger (including me! :)), or commentator who is compassionate, holy, and wise enough to tell us exactly what we need to hear and give us the comfort we so desperately need, because only Jesus knows our hearts. Ron Hamilton has captured the essence of a devotional time with God in his song, My Quiet Time. I’ve emphasized all the wonderful benefits for you.
Before I start each day,
there is a special place
I love to go alone
and seek my Savior’s face:
I find wisdom in His Word
to instruct me in His will,
And I hear His gentle voice
say, “My child, be still.”
My quiet time alone
gives me power to obey.
My quiet time alone
with God each day.
I talk to Him in prayer;
ev’ry day He meets me there.
My quiet time alone with God.
He’s with me all the time,
wherever I may go;
Each moment of the day,
He’s always there I know.
But I need that special time
when I bow before His throne,
Just to read His Word
and talk with my Lord alone.
Amazing, isn’t it, that we have access to the God of the Universe! He’s always there, always ready for us to put down the trinkets of this world, to stop working and running around like fiends, and just be still with our God, Savior, Creator, and King—our Heavenly Father. Take the time. Make it the most important habit in your life. NOTHING will transform your life like spending time ALONE with God. Then, the words of this old, familiar hymn will become real in your life: and the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace.
O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is.
~ Psalm 63:1
My constant prayer for myself, my family, and our congregation is that the Lord would give us a thirst for His Word—that our souls would be continually refreshed with the water of His Word in this dry and thirsty land! Ah, take a long, cool sip!
Beyond Common Sense 