“Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed” Luke 5:16
I am not sure what busyness was like in Jesus’ time, but He found it necessary to isolate himself from His followers and spend time alone with His Father. Since He was God, I imagine that He wouldn’t need to go to a lonely spot. He could shut His eyes and close off the world around Him. However, He was a man and a teacher who taught and showed us that it is important to be alone with God.
Do you have a personal prayer closet?
Do you have somewhere in or outside your home to be alone with your thoughts and God?
Do you have a place where you can pray and where there is no disturbances or distractions from computers, phones, and even family?
If you don’t, you owe it to yourself and God to find such a place. We all need a place to be isolated from the world to talk and listen to God.
In our weekly posts, we have talked about praying upon awakening or before bed, praying with others, and praying for ourselves and others throughout the day as good and bad circumstances arise. However, we have not spoken enough about the prayer practice recorded in Luke 5:16 that even Jesus found necessary: the quiet, alone time prayer.
What does your alone prayer time look like? Where do you go, what time will you start, and how can you ensure you will not be interrupted? If you do not already have a quiet time or location, consider creating this habit. Don’t take your bible or a writing pad with you. Let this be alone time with God and not a time to study scripture or take notes. Use it as a time for prayer and nothing else.
Make it a time to listen to the Holy Spirit and pray for what He puts on your heart. Listen for God.
It is rare to hear from God when we are busy or surrounded by noise and distractions. Put the world aside for a few minutes a day, withdraw to a lonely place, listen, and pray.