Tuning Out Everything to Be Alone with God

“After sending them home, he went up into the hills by himself to pray. Night fell while he was there alone.” Matthew 14:23 NLT

In the verse that we read, Jesus wanted to end His day alone. It was a long day. He just finished feeding over 5,000 people, when Jesus instructed His disciples to find a boat and sail over to the other side of the lake. He sent all the multitudes of people that gathered around Him to their homes. When everyone departed, He climbed a hill to pray alone. Even though Jesus was fully God, He was also fully human. In His humanity, He experienced the same things we go through. He hungered, felt pain, experienced exhaustion, and dealt with temptations. Jesus needed time alone to pray and recharge.

My Journey Begins

My hill climbing journey began earlier this year. I needed to change how I spent my time with God. In the mornings, I trekked up the 1,100 foot hill to pray. I found a rock. When I sat upon the rock, it provided me a panoramic view of the entire valley. There I prayed and fellowshipped in God’s presence. During that time, I endured some difficult trials in my life, and I felt I needed to remove as many distractions as possible to be alone with God. I desired to be renewed. I desired to hear His voice. God amazes me when I am alone with Him and I eliminate all distractions. Tuning out everything gave me clarity of thought, and helped me deal with complicated emotions.

The Need to Disconnect to Connect

You don’t need to climb a hill like I do; that is my personal journey. You need to set aside some time to tune everything out – no electronics, no business calls, no distractions. Find your place to connect with God. It can be your bedroom, your closet, your car. It could be a walk around the block. The most important thing is that you disconnect from everything else so you can connect to God. Whatever you are needing right now in your life, you will find it in God’s presence.

Pray This Prayer

Jesus, just like You, I recognize that I need to disconnect from the busyness of the day to connect in prayer. I acknowledge that time alone with You will help me to spiritually recharge and stay focused. Today, I want to commit to my new spiritual journey with You. In Jesus’s name, Amen.