Matthew 4:1-11 and 14:22-23
Immediately after He was baptized, the Holy Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness to fast and pray and be tested by the devil for 40 days. The second reference is one of many other times Jesus went off to pray alone before and/or after major events in His life.
Luke 9:28-36
Here Jesus and three others head out as a small group and He reveals His glory to them in a way the others (not to mention the crowd) never would see in this life.
Luke 11:1-12
When His disciples see Jesus praying alone and ask Him to teach them to pray like that, Jesus repeats His famous teaching on how to pray (and adds more details).
Acts 10
Note that God dramatically spoke to both Cornelius (a believer who didn’t know about Jesus yet) and to Peter (the apostle) when they were individually seeking Him and praying alone.
Group Idea
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With a small, focused group of friends, go on a hike (or otherwise get away from most people and most noise) and spend some time alternating between individual prayer and Bible study and sharing/discussing what you are learning and hearing from God.
Individual Ideas
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Get away somewhere, shut off anything that makes noise (including your cell phone, music, etc.), and just be quiet with goodness on your mind. Pray that God will lead your thoughts, but don’t spend much time talking to Him; be still and listen.
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Schedule some time away and alone to list all the things you love about various people in your life (your family, some of your closest friends, etc.). While you are alone, thank God for each of them and pray for each of them specifically. Then thank Him for the privilege of being alone with Him, and list all the things you love about Him. Make sure you take time to listen (and write down or draw what comes to mind) as well as for talking to Him.
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In your personal quiet time, read 1 Chronicles 21, focusing on verse 24. Ask God to show you the difference between worship that “costs you nothing” and real worship. Ask Him to help you see what you do just because others are around and what you really do and feel and believe, period. Write down what you hear and prepare to make the necessary changes when you leave your quiet place.
