Matthew 26:36–39 (NKJV)
36 Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to the disciples, “Sit here while I go and pray over there.”
37 And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed.
38 Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me.”
39 He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.”
Corporate worship is important. We need other Christians in our lives. We need the support of others who will not only stand with us but will also pray with us. We need the companionship of other believers. We need the spiritual support of other Christians. But there are those times we need to be with God alone.
Jesus was entering a stage in life where He was going to experience something He had never experienced through all eternity. He and the Father were going to be separated. I cannot explain the feeling or the grief. I know we have relationships with others. Relationships do not last. Circumstances change. We morn the loss of others in our lives. We ask for support and discover many have fallen asleep. There is a loneliness in separation.
Corporate worship is important but there are times we need to be alone with God. This was Jesus leaving His disciples behind and going to the Father alone. Our time spent alone with the Father enhances our time we spend in corporate worship. We have those times of desperation. We may not be able to explain them. We may be surrounded by a multitude of people, but we are alone, by ourselves in the presence of God. We cry out as Jesus did to the apostles, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful…Stay here and watch with me.”
The emptiness of the soul cannot be explained. We discover those who were left to pray for us have fallen asleep. We go deeper into the garden and discover our time spent alone with God is not in vain. We need the alone time spent with God.
It is in the alone time with God we discover we need the presence, prayer, and comfort of our spiritual family. We do not face the evil of the world alone. Corporate worship is more than just meeting together on a Sunday morning singing hymns and praise songs. It is more than just listening to a sermon. Corporate worship is family coming together sharing with each other in the love of Jesus. The presence, prayer, and comfort of fellow believers is needed in each of our lives.