We see examples throughout the Bible of times when people removed themselves from the people and situations around them to be alone. But the person who models this the most often in Scripture is Jesus Himself. Actually, before He began His public ministry, Jesus withdrew from everyone and everything and went into the wilderness for 40 days. You may already know the story, or you can read about it in Matthew 4:1-11. To summarize this passage super briefly, during these days on His own, Jesus was tempted by Satan. He drew power from Scripture, which helped Him withstand temptation. Jesus’ time of solitude strengthened Him for the road ahead. 

To be perfectly honest, 40 days of solitude is something that most of us probably wouldn’t or couldn’t commit to, though, apart from special circumstances. So let’s take some time to look at other ways Jesus prioritized solitude during His time on earth. Here are a few examples:

• When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. -Matthew 14:13
• After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. -Matthew 14:23a
• Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. -Mark 1:35
• After leaving them, he went up on a mountainside to pray. Later that night, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and he was alone on land. -Mark 6:46-47
• At daybreak, Jesus went out to a solitary place. -Luke 4:42a
• At daybreak, Jesus went out to a solitary place. -Luke 5:16
• One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. -Luke 6:12

If Jesus seems to have prioritized getting away from people, distractions, busyness, don’t you think we probably should, too? Again, this is not to say that the things you’re surrounded by are bad. In addition to other things, of course, Jesus was surrounded by His disciples, by crowds of people who wanted to learn from His teaching, and by people who desired His healing touch. So it wasn’t just “bad” things! But even good things take our time and attention away from the One who deserves it most—God. 

And even though we think, sometimes, that we’re spending purposeful time with God in the midst of our busy lives, there’s nothing like distraction-free minutes, hours or days spent with the sovereign Creator of the universe. If your quiet times with the Lord are wonderful even while you have kids playing in the other room or your phone buzzing on the table next to you, just imagine how much more glorious they might be in a place of solitude and silence. Who knows what God could do? 

You owe it to yourself to find out. Don’t shortchange yourself! Mostly “quiet times” are great! But all the way “quiet times” can surely be even better. Stop and think about your calendar/schedule for the next month, and start small if you need to. When could you set aside two hours to get away from everything and go sit/walk at a park, sit in a chair by a lake, or retreat to the corner of a quiet coffee shop? I challenge you to find the time. As I’ve heard it said, you can and will make time for what you want to make time for. Once you’ve done it one time, maybe you’ll be motivated to make it a regularly scheduled, intentional habit.

And what should you do once you get to your place and time of solitude? Well, reading back through the Scripture verses mentioned above, several times we see that Jesus prayed when He was alone. That would be a great start! Opening up your Bible is obviously another incredible way to meet with Jesus. Here are some ideas for a Bible reading routine you could follow. You could also journal! But no matter how you send your scheduled solo time with God, do not forget one thing… Invite the Holy Spirit in. Ask the Holy Spirit to be present and to teach you new things and show you what you can’t see and understand on your own. I think you’ll be amazed at what can happen when the Lord meets you—when you make time to step away from the world and into His presence. Alone.