How Jesus Prayed

"And having sent the people away, He went up the mountain by Himself to pray. At nightfall, He was there alone." - Matthew 14:23

What's really hypocritical about me is that there are times when I don't pray much because I somehow convince myself that I'm in super good standing with God, and that I don't need to pray because He and I are just always connected mentally. And then I get completely knocked off my high horse when I read verses like these that tell me that Jesus would go off by Himself for HOURS to pray. Before He walked on water He was praying. After He cured a man of leprosy He was praying. The night before He died He spent it praying. If anyone can claim that they don't need to pray that much it's Jesus, yet He probably did more praying in one month than I do all year! I am a human being, His creation and I don't pray as I should, while Jesus, who is our Lord and Creator, knew the importance of prayer and spent hours in prayer a day. This makes me reevaluate the fact that I feel pretty good if I get 10 minutes in a day.

I think that at the end of the day it all goes back to what Jesus spoke about in John 15: He is the vine and we are the branches, and how we must remain in Him. The only way to remain in Him is in prayer. Jesus spent all those hours praying because as one part of the Trinity, He had to reconnect. How much more don't we need to reconnect, recharge our batteries each day and remain in Christ?

Today's Prayer:
Jesus, just as You took the time to retreat in prayer, give me the time and the desire to do the same. Knock me down from time to time if that's what it takes for me to want to always be united with You in prayer. Never let me put anything before You. In Your Name we pray, amen.