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「祂就獨自上山去禱告。到了晚上，只有祂一人在那裡」（聖經馬太福音十四章23節）
主耶穌在世為人的時候，常喜歡獨自與神親近。我們都知道與人交接是一件多麼費力的事情！主耶穌也知道，所以祂需要機 會去恢復祂的能力。祂在世上為人，所以祂有人的疲乏。
主既如此，何況我們呢？我們豈不更需要單獨與父神親近麼？如果有什麼人能例外 ， 不需要與神單獨親近的話， 這人一定是主耶穌。如今主既不能一直工作，毫不安息，那麼，就沒有人能了。
但願每一個神的僕人看見這個功課的重要！但願神的教會知道怎樣訓練信徒奪取這無上的權利。但願每一個信徒都有時 間單獨與神親近！
信徒啊，你當學習單獨與主親近！經上記著說：「沒有人的時候，就把一切的道講給門徒聽」（聖經馬可福音四章 34 節） 。你不要希奇；你自己也可以這樣經歷的。如果你要明白，你只消把眾人散開，讓他們一個一個出去，直等到只剩下你和主。
這時候，你每一個思想會變成「上帝和我！上帝和我！」上帝和你會非常接近──接近得好似在這無涯的宇宙中，除了祂的心和你的心在跳動以外，沒有別的東西了。哦，信徒阿，學習這個！學習退避群眾！學習內心的安靜！學習歌唱「上帝和我！上帝和我！」不讓一個人來插入你和天使的摔跤！──馬德勝（Geo. Matheson）
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“He went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when evening was come, he was there alone.” (Matt. 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.
Would God that every servant of His understood and practiced this blessed art, and that the Church knew how to train its children into some sense of this high and holy privilege, that every believer may and must have his time when he is indeed himself alone with God. Oh, the thought to have God all alone to myself, and to know that God has me all alone to Himself! --- Andrew Murray.
Lamertine speaks in one of his books of a secluded walk in his garden where his mother always spent a certain hour of the day, upon which nobody ever dreamed for a moment of intruding. It was the holy garden of the Lord to her. Poor souls that have no such Beulah land! Seek thy private chamber, Jesus says. It is in the solitude that we catch the mystic notes that issue from the soul of things.
A MEDITATION My soul, practice being alone with Christ! It is written that when they were alone He expounded all things to His disciples. Do not wonder at the saying; it is true to thine experience. If thou wouldst understand thyself send the multitude away. Let them go out one by one till thou art left alone with Jesus…Has thou ever pictured thyself the one remaining creature in the earth, the one remaining creature in all the starry worlds?
In such a universe thine every thought would be “God and I! God and I!” And yet He is as near to thee as that-ia near as if in the boundless spaces there throbbed no heart but His and thine. Practice that solitude, O my soul! Practice the expulsion of the crowd! Practice the stillness of thine own heart! Practice the solemn refrain “God and I! God and I! Let none interpose between thee and thy wrestling angel! Thou shalt be both condemned and pardoned when thou shalt meet Jesus alone! --- George Matheson.
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