Jesus' prayer life

Matthew 14 : 22 - 36

After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray.

Today, I had many errands in New Town PJ. And some of the things I wanted to complete could not be done. Such delays usually frustrate me. But today, something else made the delays somewhat more tolerable. I saw the blind man in his usual spot, outside the bank, selling packets of tissues. I decided to buy some and ended up having a long chat with him. He told me that in the past he had an office job but was retrenched after twenty plus years. For some time now, he has been selling tissues, just to earn something and to pass the time. I am glad I stopped to chat........almost half an hour. But the time was worth it. I understood another's life better. I am beginning to see people who are different from me through God's eyes. And it is a grace. Never mind the things left undone.

As I read today's passage and entered the scene with my imagination, I was struck by how important prayer was to Jesus. Earlier, he had intended to go away to a solitary place but he ends up teaching and healing a huge crowd of people (14: 13 - 14). However, he did not allow the fame and popularity to distract him from his center. So now, on the mountainside, he spends concentrated time in prayer with his Father. I stopped reading at that point and stayed with the image of my Lord Jesus at prayer. We do not know the prayer 'form' he used but it was surely a holy moment, of the Son communing with the Father.

Jesus' centering upon his Father models for me the importance of doing the same myself. It is easy to get caught up with the doing and especially the 'successes' of ministry that we forget to return to our source.

At the end of the compelling events - Jesus walking on the water in the storm, enabling Peter to walk to him, saving Peter and calming the winds, the disciples are overwhelmed. Matthew tells us unequivocally that "Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, 'Truly you are the Son of God'. We could say we 'know' Jesus as well or even better today through the Spirit. We worship him as our Lord and Savior. As I worship him, I will recall his habit of prayer, his desire to center upon the Father at all times.