HH, Sir Godfrey Gregg D.Div

“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).

There are times in our lives that we need to be alone. We do that for many reasons, like getting away from our busy schedule, to enjoy a little leisure time, a little vacation and many other reasons.

The man Christ Jesus felt the need of perfect solitude–Himself alone, entirely by Himself, alone with Himself. We know how much intercourse with men draws us away from ourselves and exhausts our powers. The man Christ Jesus knew this, too, and felt the need of being by Himself again, of gathering all His powers, of realizing fully His high destiny, His human weakness, His entire dependence on the Father.

How much more does the child of God need this–himself alone with spiritual realities, himself alone with God the Father. If ever there were one who could dispense with special seasons for solitude and fellowship, it was our Lord. But He could not do His work or maintain His fellowship in full power, without His quiet time. And sometimes we enter into a secret place like the “mourner’s room” for some time alone to pray and communicate with the Father. Sometimes we are weak and helpless and we need to gather some strength to continue the work of service to which we are called. Some take a sabbatical or a fast for the same spiritual purpose.

Would God that every servant of His understood and practised this blessed art, and that the Church knew how to train its children into some sense of this high and holy privilege, that every believer may and must have his time when he is indeed himself alone with God. Oh, the thought to have God all alone to myself, and to know that God has me all alone to Himself! It is a personal commitment to spiritual benefits.

There were times I would have taken a secluded walk in his garden where I spent alone in the hills where the only noise was the birds and the wind, upon which nobody ever dreamed for a moment of intruding. It was the holy garden of the Lord to me. Poor souls that have no such Beulah land find it in uncharted territory! Seek thy private chamber, Jesus says. It is in the solitude that we catch the mystic notes that issue from the soul of things. It is where you go and find those things that are MYSTICAL within the ORDER.

A MEDITATION

My soul, practise being alone with Christ! It is written that when they were alone He expounded all things to His disciples. Do not wonder at the saying; it is true to thine experience. If thou wouldst understand thyself send the multitude away. Let them go out one by one till thou art left alone with Jesus. . . . Has thou ever pictured thyself the one remaining creature in the earth, the one remaining creature in all the starry worlds? Yes, and do not depend on the sojourners to be with you all the time, They let Jesus after they got all they wanted. Oh, brethren five thousand at one time and another seventy until there were only twelve remained. Later one of the twelve left.

In such a universe thine every thought would be “God and me! God and I!” And yet He is as near to thee as that–as near as if in the boundless spaces there throbbed no heart but His and thine.

• Practice that solitude, O my soul!
• Practice the expulsion of the crowd!
• Practice the stillness of thine own heart!
• Practice the solemn refrain “God and I! God and I!”

Let none interpose between thee and thy wrestling angel! Thou shalt be both condemned and pardoned when thou shalt meet Jesus alone! I can assure you that at the end of your alone time you will not only feel refreshed but refreshed with a new unction of the Anointing to strengthen you and to continue the work that was given to you.

I haven’t asked of you any favour but I will this morning and I want every reader to say a prayer for me and to lift me up before the Throne of Grace. I am feeling weak and in my struggles and spiritual life, I try to meet the needs of others to comfort, advise and to encourage. There is a brother I am praying for in distance land and I am taking the weakness so the Lord can strengthen him and restore all that the enemy has taken away from him. Stand with me in prayer, please. Now I need you for the victory. Give us eyes to see and a heart o understand the wisdom of God in these moments. God’s blessings on each of us.