Monday ·
Slipping Away to Pray
Scripture: Matthew 14:23
“And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone.”
Matthew 14:23 KJV
This verse follows one of the busiest days in Jesus’ ministry. He had just fed five thousand men, along with women and children, from a few loaves and fish. The crowds were amazed and wanted more. Yet when the day was done, Jesus sent everyone away and climbed a hillside to be alone with His Father.
If the Son of God needed time apart, how much more do we? It’s easy to treat prayer as something we fit into the gaps, or to assume that being busy for God is the same as being with Him. Jesus shows us a different rhythm. Fruitful work and quiet communion belong together, and He made room for both.
Notice that He went away after a success, not only after a hardship. Good days can drain us as much as hard ones, and they bring their own temptations: to keep going, to please the crowd, to lean on our own momentum. Stepping away kept Jesus anchored in the Father’s will rather than in the people’s applause.
Our “mountain” may be a back porch, a parked car, or a chair by the window before the house wakes up. What matters is that we set the crowd aside for a while: the phone, the to-do list, the noise, and give our attention to God. This evening, let’s find a few unhurried minutes to be alone with Him.
Prayer
Father, thank You for the example of Jesus, who made time to be alone with You. When my days grow full and loud, call me away to a quiet place. Help me value those moments with You above the approval of the crowd. In Jesus’ name, Amen.