He went up into the mountain apart to pray:
and when evening was come,
he was alone.
Matthew 14:23
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…
-Andrew Murray (1828-1917)
from Streams In The Desert Volume One by Mrs. Charles E. Cowman