Matthew 14:23

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Scripture:  Matthew 14:23 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.

Observation: In this particular chapter of Matthew, we see that Jesus first departed to a desert place (Matthew 14:13) after hearing the news that His cousin, John the Baptist had been killed. He went for some solitude, but when the people heard that Jesus was in the desert, they followed Him - and Jesus didn't turn them away. The bible says Jesus was a man of sorrows, and I am sure that His heart was heavy from the news, and I can make a reasonable guess that He was tired and wanted some peace and quiet, but He put the needs of the multitudes first -  The bible says And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and healed their sick.  And after spending the day healing their sick, He fed them, all 5,000 +, with five loaves of bread and two fish. After healing them, teaching them and feeding them, Jesus sent everyone away and went into the mountains to pray. He knew that He needed time apart from others to be able to spend time in prayer to refuel His heart for service.

Application: It seems like there is always more work, than workers... the list could go on and on. No matter where you are in life, there is work to be done. This is especially true in the area of servants - there is an overwhelming need for men, women, boys and girls to lay aside their own desires and wants and to take up the burden of selflessness.Jesus did just that. He left His throne and His kingdom, and came in the form of a servant. He healed the sick and gave sight to blind, He fed the hungry and caused the lame to leap for joy. He put aside His needs and wants to be able to help others. And with Jesus as our example, we should do the same... but with Jesus as our example, we need most importantly, to make that time to pray. (Even if it means getting up early or staying up late, or turning off the TV a few minutes earlier...)  Jesus made the time to pray... He knew, that without that time, He could not be an effective servant. He needed time to refuel His heart and to draw close to His Father... just as we need that time to draw close, to refuel and to hear the Word of God.

Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, It is so easy to lose the balance between service and prayer, but I know that I must have both in my life to be effective. Help me Lord, to seek Your face and Your will before I do anything. Help me to serve you wholeheartedly, holding nothing back, and to love You with everything that I am. Help me Lord, not to neglect times of solitude with You, times of prayer and times spent reading Your word with nothing else going on around me. Lord, you know that as a mom, it seems like I never have a single moment where there is stillness and quietness without. Help me Lord, to keep my eyes open for moments throughout the day however short they may be, and help me to use them to come to You in prayer, rather than for brainless activities. Lord, help me to serve You first and foremost. Help me Lord, help me through this day. In Jesus name, Amen.