In Matthew 14:22-23, the text reads, “Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone” (ESV). Two things stand out in this text. The first occupies the thought of our title. We need to make time to pray after the good fortune of a workday. Second, we learn that even during our successes and accomplishments, we should find time to pray. Humans call upon God more frequently when they have exhausted their own resources and become weary. Unaware of the danger of reaching a place of self-sufficiency, we feel no urge to call upon God. However, what appears to be a success of our own making, is paved with blessings from God’s hand. Rather than thanking God for his gracious provisions, we are tempted to forget Him. This is a great danger. Wisdom and learning from the Master teacher should remind us to always pray in the middle of our successes.
In this example, Jesus had taught the multitude and healed their diseases. At the end of the day, he miraculously fed them instead of sending them away to their homes hungry. Jesus could see that they were wanting to take him by force to be their king (John 6:15). So, he withdrew to the mountain alone. It’s interesting to connect the events of the day to his retreat to the mountain to pray. The connection is in the temptation to accept their demands to make Him their king. That agenda appears effortless. But, not only had they not responded appropriately after Jesus feeds the multitude with a little bread and fish so that they went away satisfied, but they did not understand the nature of His rule. If he had been led to follow this path of apparent success and accepted their image of rule, he would have failed his mission.
Matthew tells us that he sends the Apostles to sail to the other side of the sea while he dismisses the crowd. After they had left and he had sent the multitude away, the text tells us that He went up to the mountain to pray and when even was come, He was alone (Matt. 14:22-23). One of the discomforts of the human experience is being all alone. Yet, while Jesus had no earthly companion or pet to warm up beside him, He was not altogether alone. We are reminded from His actions that His will was to do the will of His Father. Therefore, He retreats to His Father at the end of a day that has all the signs of success by human standards in order to pray. Do you wonder about the content of His prayer? Was He praying for strength to complete the task for which He was sent? Or, perhaps he was praying for the hearts of the people to awake out of their slumber, recognize Him, and surrender their hearts to Him. One thing seems clear that fits this context and many more. There was no human companion who would understand and with whom He could relate. No one could feel the disappointment and the sadness of heart that He was experiencing, except the Father. He had no one of like mind while traveling this lonesome trail of sorrow. The only solace and comfort he had was the presence of His Father.