And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up into a mountain apart to pray, and when the evening was come, He was there alone. Matthew 14:23
Another wireless provider (cell phone company) has just set up in the mall, in a kiosk barely ten meters from another wireless provider. So I looked around the mall, and found at least five other wireless provider kiosks and stores. There is obviously a huge demand for cell phones these days, and most people seem to have them, including young children. Not only do people have them, many seem to be using them almost constantly. A significant number of people we encountered in the mall had phones to their ears or were chattering mindlessly to somebody on their Bluetooth headset. There seems to be a desperate need by many people to be constantly talking to somebody. Unlike the Lord Jesus, these people can’t bear to be alone.
Most of us are fairly comfortable to have some people around, and some even enjoy large crowds, like those that thronged the Lord Jesus during His ministry. But being alone means we have to deal with just two people, ourselves, and God. Going to the mountain apart to pray was not just something the Lord Jesus was comfortable with, it was something that He regarded as essential. And if we are to experience a happy Christian life, we will need to come to the same conclusion. There has to come a time when all cell phones are turned off (it needs recharging anyway), and all outside distractions are excluded, and we approach our ‘mountain apart’. This time of meditation on the Word of God and quiet prayer will restore our relationship with our Father, clearing away our workaday confusions, resolving our doubts and worries, and receiving forgiveness for our sins and stumbles. For the Lord Jesus, this time meant precious communion with His Father. And it will be the same for us if we make it our regular practice.
The people who avoid being alone are afraid. Are they afraid of their own thoughts, the voice of their own conscience, the awareness of their own weakness and insecurity? Probably so. Are they afraid of entering God’s presence to confer with Him and to allow His holiness and truth to expose their willful waywardness? Probably so. For these people, the ‘mountain apart’ is a fearful place, and being alone is uncomfortable. This should never be the condition of any Christian, but sadly it is. They need to be brought back into communion with their Father, so the ‘mountain apart’ loses its dread and becomes a place of comfort and fellowship.
Being alone means being with our Heavenly Father. The ‘mountain apart’ means restoration of soul. -Jim MacIntosh