But now even more the report about him went abroad, and great crowds gathered to hear him and to be healed of their infirmities. But he would withdraw to desolate places and pray. Luke 5:15-16

These aren’t “words in RED” per say, however this text comes in between a lot of words in red;) I really felt ministered to tonight as I studied out Jesus’ alone times and then loneliness in scripture. There are many points made from the scriptures of how Jesus would retreat alone to pray and how it should be an example of how our pray lives should be. I agree with those teachings and I know that we must focus on the audience of One like Jesus did.

Tonight however, as this scripture came alive to me, I thought about the difference between Jesus in a crowd and Jesus with His Father. He was in crowds all of the time. He had men that followed Him and learned from Him often. Miracles and signs and wonders were performed constantly. Those who He discipled and who knew Him intimately on earth still didn’t know Him like His father did.

While I’m sure Jesus was off praying glorious prayers for mankind at times, sometimes I wonder if in the fully man state, He cried out to God with raw emotions. We see in the garden of Gethsemane this type of agonizing prayers, but what about the day to day? Did He retreat and say,”Father, no one quite understands me here” or “why do I have to keep explaining myself? Why doesn’t anyone understand the kingdom of God?”. I don’t mean to imply that Jesus was complaining, but I do think He could relate to the Father in a way He couldn’t with anyone else.

No matter how close we are with someone else, they’ll never fully understand us or our lives. Even those who live in our home. The Bible is full of accounts of people feeling lonely or misunderstood. Lev 13:46 clearly commands that if someone has an infection they must live alone. 1Tim 5:5 talks about how widows have needs. Jeremiah sat alone because he gave a critical message from God. Elijah felt so alone that he wanted to die (1 Kings 19). We knew from the prophecy in Isaiah 53:3 that Jesus would become a man “despised and rejected by men”.

While being misunderstood or feeling lonely will look different person to person, we can find peace that Jesus identifies with where we are. Not only does He identify with that, but He showed us the best thing to do and that is to go to our Father in Heaven. Only there will we find the strength to face others in our lives with the love and confidence in who we are as sons and daughters of God.