Lonely Prayers

"But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed."
Luke 5:16

When you think about it, prayer is really an amazing thing. We can pray in groups of thousands. We can pray in small groups of people we know and are comfortable with. We can pray for others by touching them and crying out to God on their behalf. We can pray in the congregation of believers, the churches we attend. But there is something special about finding a lonely place to pray.
    I believe Jesus often found lonely places to pray because he had needs just as we do. He needed strength to live life. He was the Son of God and life on the earth was difficult at times, just as it is for us. He needed time to be with his Father. The crowds were relentless, the needs great, and the ministry exhausting. The time he spent with the Father brought strength and victory into his life. Heaven was released through him because he spent time with the one who created it. The words he spoke and the healings he performed were fueled by these times of being alone with God. Jesus understood something that we must understand as well: Seeking God truly brings life to our flesh, and brings death to sin. Jesus lived a sinless life. He was able to do this because of his position. He was the Son of God, yet he experienced every temptation that you and I do. Never once did he fall, not once did he succumb to sin. The only way this is possible is by spending much time in the presence of the Father.
    Believe me, I live in the same shoes you do. I know the schedules of life. I understand that work, family, church, community events and more, all vie for our time. Sometimes it seems like we are on a spinning top. Everything goes by so quickly that we don't feel we have time to withdraw to a lonely place and be alone with our Father. But really, there is enough time. We must make a priority to do it. Matthew 6:33 says, "Seek FIRST, the kingdom and his righteousness." (My emphasis). So it becomes a matter of priority. Jesus understood that he must make his time with God a priority. If he did not have these intimate times, he would have been ill-equipped to face the onslaught of needy people. Finding time to spend with God is a matter of life or death, success or failure.
    If you have not made it a practice to spend alone time with God, change your schedule. It is true that the more we seek him, the more we find him. We can do all kinds of good things for God, but none of these will draw us closer to him. The time we spend with him is what will bring us to his side. I have always been taught to find a "prayer closet," that is a place to spend solitary time with God. That prayer closet can be anywhere. It is not the location that matters, it is the purposeful intention that counts. Get alone with God. Lonely prayers are powerful.