“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 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 will be 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. 

Our weekly posts have spoken about praying when you wake up or before bed. We have shared the importance of praying with others. We have reminded you to pray for yourself and others throughout the day as good and bad circumstances arise. However, we want to remind you 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 make 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 in your heart. Listen to God. 
 
We rarely hear from God when we are busy or surrounded by noise and distractions. Put the world aside for a few minutes daily, withdraw to a lonely place, and pray.