How Jesus Spent His Time - Solitude
Hi there!
Today I’m sharing some of the things that God has been pointing out to me in Scripture. And can I say - sometimes the more I dive into Scripture, the more questions I have. But something in me is okay with that. God is so mysterious, and I definitely think that I’ve had to lean into faith and commit to keep learning.
With this all in mind, I’m sharing kind of an incomplete thought today.
I wanted to talk about something I have been paying attention to as I’m reading — how Jesus spends his time.
As a hard core people-pleaser, something I’ve realized is that I can feel guilty for taking time to myself. As I committed to reading the Bible this year, I quickly realized, it requires time. Taking an hour to read, or two hours to just to sit in silence in pray feels selfish. Like, I should be doing other things, right? But as I’ve been reading the Bible and intentionally looking at Jesus’s time in prayer and solitude, I’ve noticed some things I have never noticed before.
So, I’m literally highlighting the verses where Jesus goes off on his own, when he spends hours (and sometimes days) praying by himself with God.
Jesus obviously spends most of his time serving others, seeking out the lost, healing, teaching parables, and more. However, I never really took time to notice how much time he spends by himself. Praying and spending time alone with God.
There is a number of times where he may leave a party/event early, and there are times when he literally spends the whole night praying. He did this periodically - before difficult decisions (like choosing the disciples), and ultimately his crucifixion.
One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. (Luke 6:12 )
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. (Mark 1:35)
Yet the news about him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed. (Luke 5:16-17)
This has challenged me to again evaluate, how am I spending my time? Am I willing to take a night to prayer? Do I just say I will pray, or do I seriously think that there is real power in prayer?
As I was researching this, EveryNation shared an article about times Jesus chose solitude over people. You can see those reasons below. I would encourage you to go and read the article here.
6 Reasons Jesus Chose Solitude Over People
To prepare for a major task Luke 4:1-2, 14-15. After Jesus was baptized He spent 40 days praying in the wilderness. After this He was tempted by Satan and then began His public ministry.
To recharge after hard work Mark 6:30-32. Jesus sent the 12 disciples out to do ministry. When they returned He encouraged them to separate from the people who were following them to rest.
To work through grief Matthew 14:1-13. After Jesus learned that his cousin John the Baptist had been beheaded, He went away by Himself. Yes, even the Son of God grieves.
Before making an important decision Luke 6:12-13. Early in His ministry Jesus spent the whole night alone in prayer. The next day He chose his 12 disciples.
In a time of distress Luke 22:39-44. Hours before Jesus was arrested He went to the Mt. of Olives and went a short distance away from His disciples to pray. He was in great emotional agony knowing what he was about to face.
To focus on prayer Luke 5:16. Many times in Jesus’ ministry He spent time alone in prayer.
I’ve so often felt like taking time to myself is somehow selfish. To spend time alone and hours in prayer? Um, you have laundry to do, friends to text, all the balls that have been dropped! But it has been fascinating to realize how much time Jesus spent in prayer by himself. And, like, he prays for awhile. Not just an hour, but for a night, or even for 40 days.
I think this teaches us that there is a value in solitude. We are called to serve others, but we also are allowed to take time to pray and spend time alone with God. And I think if Jesus chose to do this- there is something significant to this practice. There is a value and importance that Jesus saw in this action and so I believe there is value we can find as well.
I’m not saying you can just ignore everything and everyone around you, but I hope it can serve as a nudge or encouragement to take time as you read the Bible and notice how Jesus spends his time. If you are a people-pleaser like me and feel selfish to spend time alone in prayer, for like, hours - I hope you can challenge that thought. Read it for yourself, and take time to notice… how does Jesus spend His time?
With love,
SOURCES:
https://bibleask.org/how-often-did-jesus-spend-entire-nights-in-prayer/
(Times Jesus prayed):
https://jesusalive.cc/times-jesus-prayed/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prayers_of_Jesus
