Patti Burris

Mark 1:35

Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.

Luke 5:16

But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.

Luke 6:12

One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God.

Matthew 14:13

When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns.

John 6:15

Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.

There are many times when I know that I should seek solitude, but the busyness of my daily life gets in the way of my spending alone time with God. When I don’t make the time to seek God’s face, I feel disconnected from Him and nothing seems to go right. I end up feeling miserable. Our heavenly Father wants to spend alone time with us. We need to make this a priority.

Below, I have given 5 scenarios in which we need to seek alone time with God:

1. To deal with the demands of daily life– In the rush of getting things done, don’t forget to take time out for God. Set aside a time to feel the Father’s presence and make sure you stay connected to the Vine (Jesus, John 15:5).

2. To seek God’s purpose for your life– If you are unsure of what your God-given life purpose is, spend time alone with God. If you seek God’s will for you through prayer and Bible study, He will guide you.

3. To make difficult decisions– Before Jesus chose the 12 disciples, He withdrew to a solitary place to seek God’s will (Luke 6:12-13). We, also need to seek God’s will before we make any decisions. What we want or think is best, may not be what God wants or thinks is best. We need to seek His will when it comes to decisions that we need to make.

4. When feeling the weight of the world– There are times in our lives when the enemy will use the stress, anxiety and worry of life to keep us from feeling the peace of God. It is in those times when we need to get alone with God and really let Him minister to our weary souls. Take time to feel the peace of His presence.

5. To stay connected to The Vine– I have already said that Jesus is the Vine. When we spend alone time with God, we are also, sitting at the feet of Jesus. Just take time to sit and feel the love, comfort and peace of Jesus. Sit in silent worship and praise of the Holy One. Play some soft worship music. I love the Gregorian chants. Simply sit, with your eyes closed…listen to the soft music and focus on the presence of Jesus.

If Jesus took time to seek solitude and alone time with God, then it must be pretty important. Set a time when you can be alone with God to study the Bible, pray, and simply sit in His presence. We will never be able to deal with all that life throws at us on our own. We need to seek the face of God and keep as close to Him as we possibly can.