“And after He had dismissed the multitudes, He went up into the hills by Himself to pray. When it was evening, He was still there alone.” Matthew 14:23 ->me: One of the interesting things about reading the gospel of Matthew slow and deliberate like this is that you find the nuanced differences in the recollection between the gospel writers. Here, Matthew simply says ‘He dismissed the multitudes’, but John says ‘Then Jesus, knowing that they meant to come and seize Him that they might make Him king, withdrew again to the hillside by Himself alone.’ John 6:15. Both John and Matthew were there but have different ways of recording it. Ok, now to the last 2 days of learning – Jesus routinely gets away to spend time between Himself and the heavenly Father. Jesus, modeled prayer to the Father in the same way we can hook into this today. Jesus (incarnate) was held to all the same constraints we endure here on earth today and which is why He spend time to get away to spend in prayer with His Father in heaven. For whatever reason, this really hit home the last 2 days. Connecting with and pursuing God the Father is hard but oh so rewarding! Jesus understood this immensely (He had a knowledge and relationship with the Father that we have never experienced). He would pursue and embrace the times He was able to get away in solitude to spend meaningful time with the Father. My pursuit should be no different. Just like Jesus, this is my way of communing with the Father…but as a benefit, I get the Holy Spirit as a helper and an intercessor in Jesus. God hears me the same way He hears His Son because His Son is mediating on my behalf. My Savior is my connection to the Almighty Father.