Introduction
Over the last four weeks, we have learned prayer is
communing with God – speaking and listening. We have learned how to approach
God with our heart, mind, and soul – recognize God is to be revered, God’s
mercy, God exists, God’s power, God’s faithfulness, God’s righteousness, and
God is eternal and omnipotent so keep focused on Him. The final part of
approaching God taught our prayers should give testimony of God. The Bible has taught
us how to pray to God – petitioning for self, others, enemies, adoration,
thanksgiving, and confession/repentance. Besides this, we started learning about
the attributes, attitudes, and actions of an effective person of prayer. Two of
these are righteous, which comes from God, and belief God has the power to do
what is necessary to change things and answer prayers.
Today we will learn one more thing the Bible teaches about
the person who prays. The person who prays, prays in solitude. Why is this important? Why does it not
conflict with other Bible passages?
Pray in Solitude
The third most common teaching
in the Bible regarding the attributes, actions, or attitudes of the person who prays
- the pray-er - regards where physically to pray. Five times in the New
Testament, the disciples recorded Jesus teaching or modeling prayer in solitude.
With Matthew 6:6 and 14:23, and Luke 5:16, 6:12, & 9:28, Jesus taught His
disciples solitude is necessary in praying. Mark and John each record the same
thing as Matthew 14:23.
In Matthew 6, Jesus taught the disciples
whatever they did because of their belief in Him must not be done to receive attention
and praise from men, but to be noticed by the Father. Whether the disciples
gave help to the poor or prayed, they should only seek recognition from God. In
Matthew 6:6, Jesus said to them, “But you, when you pray, go into your inner
room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father
who sees what is done in secret will reward you.” [NASB] He spoke against the
Pharisees’ method of prayer that sought the attention and praise of people.
Jesus contrasted it with the purpose of true prayer - to be in the presence of
God, communing with Him, petitioning Him, seeking His will, and listening to
Him. Jesus called the Pharisees hypocrites because they sought the approval of
man and not God. They were not as righteous as they pretended to be. Jesus told
the disciples not to stand in high traffic places praying just to be seen by
people. Instead, He said, go to a quiet, solitary place – an inner room or
closet - since the reason of praying is to draw closer to God. Solitary prayer
keeps people focused on God and their relationship with Him. It keeps the
person who prays from seeking self-centeredness.
In Matthew 14:23, Matthew
recorded after feeding the 5000 men, plus women and children, Jesus went up the
mountain to a solitary place to pray. It says, “He was there alone.” When
reading this chapter, we understand Jesus and His disciples fed the people in
the evening, which was about 6pm before night fell. After the feeding, Jesus sent His disciples
away from the crowd, probably to give them a respite. While He prayed, a storm
blew up and battered the boat. Verse 25 says, “And in the fourth watch of the night,
He (Jesus) came to them walking on the sea.” The fourth watch was a Roman term
of time for 3am-6am. Understanding this, we realize Jesus prayed alone for almost
twelve hours. Mark 6:46 and John 6:15 record this for us, too. He took time to
be with and commune with the Father and gained rest for His body. Solitary time
in prayer provided rest for Jesus and rejuvenated His Spirit from communion
with His Father.
Luke 5:16 says after Jesus
healed the man of leprosy, “But Jesus Himself would often slip away to the
wilderness and pray.” After times of ministry, Jesus knew His physical body
needed rest. He recognized, too, that He needed to commune with the Father. His
relationship with the Father was close. Just as we want to stay close to our
parents and other family members by being with and talking to them, Jesus
wanted closeness with His Father. Solitary prayer makes it easier to commune
with the Father without distractions. It provides rest for the body, too.
In Luke 6:12 we read Jesus went
to the mountain to pray. He was alone, we note, because He called His disciples
to Him in verse 13. Why was Jesus praying in solitude? How long did He pray?
This verse tells us Jesus prayed all night, between 9 and 12 hours. Before this
verse, we read Jesus healed a man’s hand. The Pharisees and Levitical scribes
were present and challenged Him since He healed on the Sabbath. Jesus prayed to
commune with the Father, to receive strength from Him, and to get away from
disbelieving, challenging people. He prayed to prepare for the next days when
He chose His twelve disciples and teach His greatest sermon – the Sermon on the
Mount. Solitary prayer provides peace from daily life, challenges, and the
neediness of people. It provides rest for the body and spiritual rejuvenation.
Luke 9:28 says, “Some eight
days after these saying, He took along Peter and John and James, and went up on
the mountain to pray.” [NASB] Before this record, Luke said Jesus fed the 5000
people, questioned His disciples, told them not to reveal yet who He is, and
taught them about being His disciples – what it requires. Jesus had been busy mentally,
spiritually, and physically. He interfaced with and met the needs of thousands
of people. He was preparing to teach His disciples more and heal a
demon-possessed boy. Jesus needed rest for His body. He needed strength. Jesus
wanted to be with His Father. He prepared for the coming days when strength of
mind and body would be necessary. The tired disciples fell asleep while Jesus
prayed. Solitary prayer opens the door for the Father to talk to us in ways
that will enlighten and strengthen us for the days ahead. It gives rest for the
tired body and mind. Solitary prayer brings us into the presence of God to
receive from His well strength, nourishment, and rejuvenation. It allows us to
be filled with God’s words and goodness so we can walk strong with Him in the
future.
Notice Jesus did not always go
to prayer by Himself. At times He took people dear to Him to His place of prayer.
He modeled prayer for them and allowed them a glimpse of the Father during His
own times of prayer.
Relevance and Conclusion
Solitariness solely for
isolation was not what Jesus taught. He taught this so people understood the
intent of the pray-er’s heart was what God listened to and saw. That intent, be
it righteousness or showmanship, determined if God would listen to and answer prayer.
Jesus taught this lesson so people understood a pray-er must get away from
distractions to commune truly with the Father. A quiet place allows a person to
focus on God so the pray-er can approach God with reverence. That person can
have an honest conversation with Him that enables two-way communication. This
private conversation gives the pray-er solitude so he or she is not swayed to
push his or her sins, for which confession should be made, under the rug.
Solitude allows focus, genuine communication, sincere repentance and confession,
strengthening for the days to come, and rest from the days just passed. It
turns the focus back to God and helps us remember He is our strength and the
purpose for our life.
When you pray, do you go to a
quiet place alone? Do you seek to meet with and commune with God? Do you have a
genuine two-way conversation with Him? Or, do you pray so others can see your
“religiosity” so they will know of your “holiness.” Do you seek the praise of
people or of God? Solitary prayer is given to us as a gift from God to get us
away from the demands on our time, attention, emotions, body, and spirit. It
allows us to commune genuinely with God, hear His voice, and be strengthened
and nourished. It prepares is for the coming days so we walk in God’s will and
with His strength. Solitary is not the only way Jesus taught us to pray, but it
has its benefits for our whole being – mind, heart, body, and soul.
When did you last truly
seek God in solitude and without pretense?
