Jesus frequently withdrew from people and the crush of ministry demands to fellowship with His Father in prayer and gain wisdom in making key decisions. Before He chose His disciples, He withdrew to pray (Luke 6:12-16). When the crowd pressed in on Him with their own agenda to make Him king, following the feeding of the 5,000, He withdrew to a mountain to gain perspective through prayer (Matthew 14:13-23). As He prepared for His final journey to Jerusalem, He withdrew to a mountain with three friends for prayer (Luke 9:28-36). The one time of withdrawal that touches me the most is found in Mark 1:32-38: 

 “That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon possessed. The whole town gathered at the door, and Jesus healed many who had various diseases . . . Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. Simon and his companions went to look for him, they exclaimed: ‘Everyone is looking for you!’ Jesus replied, ‘Let us go somewhere else— to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.’” 

Jesus found strength in withdrawing to pray and spend time with His Father. Henri Nouwen in his book, “Out of Solitude,” sheds this insight: 

 “In the morning, long before dawn, he got up and left the house, and went off to a lonely place and prayed there.’ In the middle of sentences loaded with action—healing suffering people, casting out devils, responding to impatient disciples, traveling from town to town and preaching from synagogue to synagogue—we find these quiet words . . . in the center of breathless activities we hear a restful breathing. Surrounded by hours of moving we find a moment of quiet stillness. In the heart of much involvement there are words of withdrawal. In the midst of action there is contemplation. And after much togetherness there is solitude . . . somewhere we know that without a lonely place our lives are in danger. Somewhere we know that without silence words lose their meaning, that without listening speaking no longer heals, that without distance closeness cannot cure. Somewhere we know that without a lonely place our actions quickly become empty gestures. The careful balance between silence and words, withdrawal and involvement, distance and closeness, solitude and community forms the basis of the Christian life and should therefore be the subject of our most personal attention” (pp.13-15). 
Helping people live life with Jesus everyday,

Rev. Dr. Brent L Parrish