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, KJV)

After the miracle of feeding the 5,000 men with 5 loaves of bread and 2 fishes, the scripture records Jesus’ amazing attitude in the last part of our verse above. It says Jesus “went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone.” This was the behind-the-scenes part of the Jesus who worked miracles in public. The majority who followed Him only saw the miracles that were performed during the day. Only a few knew about Him going to the mountain to be alone with His Father constantly.

If you ever dream of having a fruitful spiritual life or a ministry that touches lives through the power of the Spirit, herein lies the secret. Your “alone” moments with God will determine what will be seen in public. The saints of old said, “A prayerless Christian is a powerless Christian” and also “Prayer is the key.” Nothing needs to be added or taken away from these statements.

Jesus went up to the mountain to avoid distractions and seek solitude with God. You do not need to look for a mountain somewhere around you. Wherever you can be alone with God in a quiet environment without distraction is your prayer mountain.

If you do not have a personal prayer mountain in your life, you will always be powerless before the mountains of your life.

MEDITATE

Was this attitude of Jesus a one-time event or was it a habit He had? (Luke 6:12, Mark 1:35). If Jesus needed to be alone with the Father constantly, do you think we will make it through without doing the same?

APPLY THE WORD

The application of this devotional is quite simple. If your prayer life is in distress, make up your mind this day to start having “alone” moments with God in prayer.

PRAY

Ask the Lord to strengthen you this year to develop a healthy and consistent prayer life.

Foundational Read: What is a Daily Devotional?

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