Blog Series: Even Jesus Needed Time Alone with God by Laura Anslow

by Rachael Adams | Feb 11, 2021 | The Love Offering Guest Blog Series

Laura Anslow

There is always something to do. As a working mom, there are never-ending demands on my time and energy, so my to-do list never seems to get done! I know the struggle is real and I know the only way to get through each day is by being alone with God.

One morning, I knew I needed to do just that. I watched the sun peek above the clouds and the dew-laden grass glisten in the early light, and I found myself in Luke 5. In verse 16 we read that “He Himself [Jesus] often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed.” This was straight after healing and teaching multitudes and I thought, if Jesus needed time alone, then that’s what we need too.

Sometimes our souls need quiet. A little stillness and a lot less distraction from all the demands and to-do lists. Sometimes to keep going, to keep loving, and to keep serving, we need to withdraw and pray. Perhaps we need to spend some alone time with God, just like Jesus did.

Jesus purposely went to the wilderness to pray. He purposely sought quiet, stillness, and solitude in order to have connection, communion, and conversation with God, His Father. Do we do that? Do we purposely seek connection and communion with God? Do we make time for conversation with Him?

Notice how the text shows us this wasn’t a once-off occurrence in preparation for a big event. This was something Jesus did often. He withdrew often to pray. Things we do often are usually because they bring us satisfaction or they are a necessity. Pursuing time alone with God is both.

We need this time with our Father. It is a necessity for our body, soul, and spirit. It is vital for us to be refreshed, restored, and strengthened for the day ahead. To fulfill the task of loving and serving that He has called us to we first need to be filled with His love. To meet the needs of others we first need to go to God to meet our needs.

For me personally, knowing that God delights in me spending time with Him and knowing that He desires to hear my prayers brings satisfaction to my soul. He fills my soul with joy, my mind with peace, and my body with strength. Pursuing time alone with God in the quiet and the stillness is what I need to be and do all that He has called me to.

Withdrawing into the wilderness to pray didn’t change the circumstances of the day ahead for Jesus. It didn’t take away the demands of His time and energy, but it did enable Him to do all His Father prepared for Him to do. It shows us we can not do this journey without Him. Finding times of quiet and stillness with God might not change our to-do lists, but it will certainly empower us to be a vessel for His love, grace, and peace as we meet the demands of our days.

About the Guest Author:

Laura is a wife and mom to four beautiful children. She loves reading, writing, and speaking about the truth and love of God. She is passionate about her relationship with Jesus and loves doing life with Him. She is in awe of the power of God’s Word and the revelation of His Truth to bring freedom and wholeness to our lives. It is so easy for our lives to run on autopilot, with schedules and jobs and to-do lists flooding our days. Expectations, disappointments, fears, and doubts can trap us and leave us depleted. So she is on a journey to discover her identity as His Beloved and live from the truth of His Word.