Matthew 14:23 “And after he (Jesus) had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone …”
“He (Jesus) had dismissed the crowds” – How can I do this by way of application? What in my life do I need to “dismiss”, for a time, in order for prayer to have the priority that Jesus placed on it.
Jesus after having spent a day with the crowds went “by himself to pray”. It caused me to ask, after I have spent a day working should I spend some time on the “mountain”, by myself, to pray? And, if so, how long do I spend in prayer? Where would be a place that I could, in a practical sense, call my “mountain”?
It appears, from the text, that he spent some significant amount of time in prayer. “When evening came, he was there alone …” He started in the daylight and ended in the evening.
How long should I pray?
Another interesting fact is, the text emphasizes spent the time isolated from others: “he went up…by himself to pray” and “When evening came, he was…alone…” How important is it that I spend time alone, with God?
Bottom line: TAKE TIME TO PRAY!
Thank you so much for this excellent exhortation concerning prayer. I really am convicted about not finding a "mountain" of my own or a specific place to call my prayer closet. I mean I pray at home alone and I pray often all through the day and for different needs that come up for myself or for others. But the Holy Spirit is convicting me that I'm not even close to the kind of "mountain" (even symbolically), that Jesus had or chose. Also, there is a difference from just living life and praying throughout the day which of course is very good, but with the absence of a purposeful place and a purposeful time being given to prayer, in this I do lack. After reading this it is my purpose to follow Christ's example and prayerfully heed the promptings of His Holy Spirit to find that place and make that time.
ReplyDeleteTia, my first thought concerning the comments about not finding a "mountain" is this, what you describe as your prayer life may be your "mountain". You said, "I pray at home alone and I pray often". That sounds like what Jesus did. He was alone. He wasn't in a home, but he was alone.
ReplyDeleteAnd as to all day long. I have had the good fortune to see you do that. You are an encouragement to me in this spiritual disciple (privilege).
Thank you for being an example to me.