Time alone with God
The apostles returned to Jesus from their ministry tour and told him all they had done and taught. Then Jesus said, “Let’s go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile.” He said this because there were so many people coming and going that Jesus and his apostles didn’t even have time to eat. So they left by boat for a quiet place, where they could be alone. Mark 6:30-32
In Mark 3:14, when the Lord Jesus Christ called the twelve, they were commanded “to accompany him, and he would send them out to preach.” To be with Jesus is the first requirement of discipleship. The success in the life of a disciple is not measured alone by how much time we spend in mission but how much time we spend with Jesus. The call of the disciples to be fishers of men should not replace their fellowship with Jesus. From the text, Jesus told His disciples, “Let’s go off by ourselves to a quiet place.” He wanted to be with His disciples to a place away from towns and villages. The gathering of the disciples to be with Jesus means that in the midst of business and busyness, they are required to spend time alone with Him. The setting from the text indicated that the disciples just came from the mission that Christ told them to do. Again, because of the press of the crowds and because of the completed mission, Jesus wants to withdraw and talk with them in private. This happens several times in the book (see Mark 4:34; 6:32; 7:33; 9:2, 28; 13:3). The Lord Jesus Christ wants His disciples to learn that the greater the demands on them, the greater their need to be alone with Jesus. Jesus knew how tiring ministry can be. He knew what it felt like to be busy attending to the needs of the people and to be pressed by the crowds. He knew how exhausting to preach from town to town until His voice was hoarse. It is draining to get so caught up in what God has called His followers to do that daily needs could easily be forgotten. In His compassion, He reached out to the disciples and encouraged them to come away with Him from the crowds to get some rest. Time of solitude to be alone with God is an ingredient that cannot be ignored much longer in our lives without us paying a dear, dear price. We need to carve out time for quietness, solitude, thought process, prayer, meditation, and soul searching. Oh, the results of such time alone with God; how much nervousness will begin to fade away, how insignificant petty differences will become, how big God will become and how small our troubles will appear. Security, peace, and assurance will be our constant outlook in life for they are what God wants His children to experience because they regularly spend time alone with Him.
Blessings
