John 6:15 (NKJV) – Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone.
Jesus knew the importance of departing from the busyness of life to spend time alone with God to stay aligned to His purposes.
In the previous chapter Jesus had just healed the man at the pool of Bethesda and taught the teeming crowds that followed. And now the crowds were hungry and He feeds them. This is a miracle that is recorded in all four of the Gospel accounts. And Luke mentioned that on this occasion Jesus went out to a deserted place to be alone (Luke 9:10), yet the crowds followed Him there. Despite this imposition, Jesus still served the multitude with great compassion. The loving Saviour understood. He provided them food for their physical hunger, just as He had their spiritual hunger.
The crowds were impressed and thrilled. And their response? They wanted to make Jesus king, by force. Jesus wanted no part in that. He knew well enough that becoming an earthly king was not part of His purpose or plan for His time on earth. His response? Jesus ‘departed again to the mountain by Himself alone.’
Now the fact is that Jesus though fully human, was fully God too. He knew exactly the plans for His time on earth and that He needed to accomplish. Then why is it that we find that He spent much time alone and in prayer with His Father? Did He really need to keep seeking the Father’s will in prayer? Yes, He definitely believed so and did so too. He spent time with His Father, to talk to Him, to understand His heart, to stay aligned to the Father’s will.
If as God Himself, Jesus takes time off to re-calibrate by Himself and with His Father, how much more you and I?
How are you doing in aligning your life to the will of the Father in your life, to re-focus, get your priorities re-aligned to His perfect will? Is spending time alone with God an important part of your day?
Guide me each day to spend time alone with you, dear God.