Matthew 14

“When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns……After he dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone,” Matthew 14:13, 23 NIV

In the previous chapter that we read, Jesus provided a ‘how to’ or ‘what to do’ checklist for the disciples in order to follow Him and please the Heavenly Father. Today’s reading provides insight for another item to add to the ‘checklist’ in order to have the desire to do the will of the Father – spending time with Him in prayer.

The two verses above both indicate that Jesus understood the fact that he needed to spend time praying in seclusion to his Father. As much as him slipping away from the crowds was for his own benefit (receiving temporary relief) it also allowed Jesus to refocus, to be reminded, and to rejuvenate himself in order to do the will of his Father. Immediately following verse 13, Scripture says that Jesus had compassion on the crowd that followed him and He continued to heal their sick. Following verse 23, Jesus returned to his disciples in order to provide comfort for them and calming the waters once again.

Jesus, who lived a perfect and blameless life, understood the need to pray in seclusion to his Father. If Jesus needed to pray, how much more do we need to! May we not underestimate the power received from the Holy Spirit by spending quality, secluded time with our Heavenly Father – both in prayer and in Scripture.