Solitude and Prayer

February 16

(Luke 5:15-16 NIV) “Yet the news about him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. {16} But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.”

(Matthew 14:23 NIV) “After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone.”

After Jesus healed the leper, the crowds began to press in upon Him. It seemed like everyone wanted something from Him. The demands of ministry were draining, and Jesus had to continually renew his spirit. He would often withdraw from the crowds and go to a place where He could be alone with God. This was Christ’s source of power. Many times the disciples found him hidden away, praying to His Father. If Jesus needed that communion, how much more do we need it? Yet many Christians today spend little time alone with God. Perhaps this lack of solitude and prayer is why we often feel so powerless in the faith. How is your prayer life? How much time will you spend alone with God this week, talking and listening? Lack of communion with God drains us of our power. Following Jesus means doing what Jesus did. Make time to be alone with God and pray. -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day