April 17, 2001
My ladies Bible class just finished a series called “Meeting God in Busyness.” The topic seems almost an oxymoron. How can a busy person find time to connect with God? Christians find busyness is one of our greatest tests of commitment to our Lord. Even at the best of times, we are so easily side-tracked from our dependence on Him. When we are busy, we need Him the most but how can a person stop that ticking clock long enough to touch base with God?
Everyone in the class agreed that God belongs in more than just in our most pious moments. We are Christians all the time, not merely when we feel ‘religious’ or are filled with spiritual thoughts. Jesus lives within us, not Sunday morning only but seven days of the week and in all situations. Our task was finding out how to make that reality a practical part of every day.
One thing we talked about is that the word ‘priority’ is singular. So what is the one most important thing in our lives? God? Or our to-do lists? If we say we love God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength, then we must spend quality time with Him. Also, He must be consulted regarding our daily plans and every decision.
The class also noticed that spending time with God at the beginning, before the rush begins, has a positive result. Our worship, Bible study and prayer time produces an inner peace and strength that reduces the pressures of busyness that would otherwise takes us down.
We discussed how stress is not always from our to-do list. Sometimes it is a result of unsettled issues, such as sin, broken relationships, fear or doubt. Since God forgives and cleanses sin, heals interpersonal conflicts, and erases fear and doubt, meeting with Him reduces that stress too. Without the strain of those issues, busyness is less likely to negatively affect our emotions.
Another discovery was that obeying God makes a difference in our fatigue levels. Sometimes we rebel in subtle ways, like saying ‘yes’ to something that God asks us to turn down or deny. Even if it is not a sinful activity, it could be adding one more item to the list which the straw that can break our backs. We need to listen to Him because by refusing to do what God asks, we can wind up doing far more than we wanted, simply as a consequence of not listening to Him. Even if obedience seems like ‘more’ or ‘too much’ up front, the Lord always honors it. Often, our remaining tasks are easier, or seem so, because we know we are following the Lord.
The Bible says, “Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” Being busy is not always a bad thing. When God is in it, our productivity can be a blessing to Him, ourselves and others.
Lord, thank You for the many responsibilities that are in my life. I know that I cannot handle them well or with a song in my heart unless I first go to You for wisdom, strength and the joy that Your Spirit brings. May the tasks I do today be done in Your power and according to Your will. Warn me when I am tempted to step outside of what You want for me. May I not neglect Your clear commands or try to do anything without Your help. Do not allow me to add more to my schedule than You want for me. Instead, help me to do my God-given tasks in such a way that You are pleased and honored. Amen.
Showing posts with label time with God. Show all posts
Showing posts with label time with God. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 7, 2018
Wednesday, July 19, 2017
The freight or the invoice? .......... Parables 616
November 24, 1998
In a recent crusade, Billy Graham said “busy people have forgotten their souls.” His remark recalls a story about an expedition through a jungle. The white leader pushed for rapid progress but his native servants kept stopping. He thought they were lazy but they said they simply wanted “time to let our souls catch up with our bodies.”
Slow people frustrate those who think full-speed ahead is the only way to make progress. However, being in a rush puts our bodies at risk. Type A personalities have heart attacks. As Graham says, they can also experience a breakdown in their soul.
Long-term soul-neglect sometimes has delayed symptoms. A person might seem fine for a time then suddenly collapse. One Christian leader uses “sink holes” to describe it. A hidden stream of water washes away subsoil until what appears to be a normal area of ground, suddenly develops a huge, gaping hole. Without warning, it caves in.
According to Graham, soul-neglect begins when people ignore their inner ache. He said, “There’s a hole in your heart and in your life. You’d like it to be filled, but you don’t know what it is. And you’ve tried so many things, like drugs and sex. All these things haven’t satisfied the deepest longing you have because that something you’re looking for is God.”
He adds, “people long for a transcendent, timeless touch from God” but instead of going to Him for it, they get involved in the frantic pace of modern life, leaving no time for their souls.
By leaving God out of our lives, that inner void grows deeper. Instead of stopping to fill it with Him, people step up the pace. As the evangelist said, they swirl through life on quick fixes, up-to-the-minute news, instant this and that, amounting to a diet that does not satisfy their deepest needs.
I’ve watched people do it. A combination of soul-neglect and a penchant for quick remedies produces superficial lives and superficial cures. That unsatisfied cry of the heart goes unheard and these people eventually collapse, largely under a load of their own creation.
This solution is obvious: slow down and give time to God. Jesus puts it this way: “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Graham uses the Bible to say, “We are powerless to change our spiritual condition, and when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.” To be changed, we need to take our lives and our sins and give everything to Jesus. He forgives sin and changes the way we live.
Part of that change is a deep, inner peace that only He can produce in our souls. He fills the void and our busy, restless hearts find rest in Him. While we cannot do that ourselves, we can learn about Him by reading the Bible, worshiping with others and praying.
Learning about Jesus includes the discovery that He is gentle and humble. Busy people often find the only way they can tolerate gentle, humble people is to become that themselves. With God’s help, they can.
Jesus also says rest for a busy soul includes dropping our burden and sharing His. In English, that word “burden” is a turnoff to those who are already worn out. However, in the original language it is not quite what we think. The earlier phrase “weary and burdened” is talking about a load of freight. That is what we try to carry. Jesus’ “light burden” is another word. That culture used it to describe that little piece of paper tacked to the freight, the invoice!
That leaves a choice to those of us who tend to get too busy. Do we want a sinkhole? Or would we rather have the fatigue that goes with carrying around an invoice?
In a recent crusade, Billy Graham said “busy people have forgotten their souls.” His remark recalls a story about an expedition through a jungle. The white leader pushed for rapid progress but his native servants kept stopping. He thought they were lazy but they said they simply wanted “time to let our souls catch up with our bodies.”
Slow people frustrate those who think full-speed ahead is the only way to make progress. However, being in a rush puts our bodies at risk. Type A personalities have heart attacks. As Graham says, they can also experience a breakdown in their soul.
Long-term soul-neglect sometimes has delayed symptoms. A person might seem fine for a time then suddenly collapse. One Christian leader uses “sink holes” to describe it. A hidden stream of water washes away subsoil until what appears to be a normal area of ground, suddenly develops a huge, gaping hole. Without warning, it caves in.
According to Graham, soul-neglect begins when people ignore their inner ache. He said, “There’s a hole in your heart and in your life. You’d like it to be filled, but you don’t know what it is. And you’ve tried so many things, like drugs and sex. All these things haven’t satisfied the deepest longing you have because that something you’re looking for is God.”
He adds, “people long for a transcendent, timeless touch from God” but instead of going to Him for it, they get involved in the frantic pace of modern life, leaving no time for their souls.
By leaving God out of our lives, that inner void grows deeper. Instead of stopping to fill it with Him, people step up the pace. As the evangelist said, they swirl through life on quick fixes, up-to-the-minute news, instant this and that, amounting to a diet that does not satisfy their deepest needs.
I’ve watched people do it. A combination of soul-neglect and a penchant for quick remedies produces superficial lives and superficial cures. That unsatisfied cry of the heart goes unheard and these people eventually collapse, largely under a load of their own creation.
This solution is obvious: slow down and give time to God. Jesus puts it this way: “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Graham uses the Bible to say, “We are powerless to change our spiritual condition, and when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.” To be changed, we need to take our lives and our sins and give everything to Jesus. He forgives sin and changes the way we live.
Part of that change is a deep, inner peace that only He can produce in our souls. He fills the void and our busy, restless hearts find rest in Him. While we cannot do that ourselves, we can learn about Him by reading the Bible, worshiping with others and praying.
Learning about Jesus includes the discovery that He is gentle and humble. Busy people often find the only way they can tolerate gentle, humble people is to become that themselves. With God’s help, they can.
Jesus also says rest for a busy soul includes dropping our burden and sharing His. In English, that word “burden” is a turnoff to those who are already worn out. However, in the original language it is not quite what we think. The earlier phrase “weary and burdened” is talking about a load of freight. That is what we try to carry. Jesus’ “light burden” is another word. That culture used it to describe that little piece of paper tacked to the freight, the invoice!
That leaves a choice to those of us who tend to get too busy. Do we want a sinkhole? Or would we rather have the fatigue that goes with carrying around an invoice?
Wednesday, June 28, 2017
High Octane Refueling .......... Parables 607
August 11, 1998
In case you think your car is a gas-burner, the cruise liner Queen Elizabeth II moves a mere six inches for each gallon of diesel fuel. (Multiply that by fuel costs and you’ll know why an ocean cruise is so expensive.)
That amazing bit of trivia is a reminder that getting somewhere requires fuel. Not only that, now and then most of us have a “cruise liner” day — we burn a lot of energy but don’t go far!
Last week, I had one of those. It was Friday and my granddaughter was here. We both slept a bit later than usual and after we got going, she wanted to go shopping. My to-do list was long and the phone kept ringing.
In the hubbub, I did not take time to pray more than a couple of token sentences. Whenever that happens, by suppertime I’ve little left to keep me going. The worst of it is I know what I need to regain some energy but this time I simply didn’t do it.
One of my favorite Bible stories illustrates our need to be fueled up so we can sail through our responsibilities. Jesus is visits the home of Mary and Martha at dinner time. Martha rushes out to the kitchen but Mary sits at the feet of Jesus. Martha is annoyed and complains to Jesus that Mary should be helping her. Jesus rebukes Martha for being so anxious about her meal that she neglects the “most needful thing.”
Taking time to talk with God is a needful thing. Martha needed it so she could make dinner with the right attitude. I need it for my attitude and for the energy to make it to dinner time. Although most people think praying is bringing God our list of requests, prayer also prepares us for whatever lies ahead.
In the morning, we need strength and wisdom for the day before us. When we talk to God first thing, it helps us remember He is in charge of the universe and nothing is too difficult for Him. It also helps us remember that He loves us and listens to our prayers. Those things calm our hearts — and a calm spirit is energetic and creative.
In the evening, we need to unload our burdens by discussing with Him our concerns. He says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Prayer also insures a good nights sleep!
In between morning and evening, God offers to renew depleting resources. Scripture says, “He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who wait on the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”
Taking time to pray is tough in an age of fast-lane living. It takes a great deal of discipline to spend time in prayer when you already have more to do than hours in your day. It is also difficult when the day past leaves you so exhausted that you fall asleep before your head hits the pillow.
It is even harder to pull over in the middle of the day for a prayer-stop. However, God says the problem of not enough time is not solved by having more of it but by allowing Him to take care of every detail of our lives. His cure for exhaustion is not always more sleep but that our hearts are at rest. His cure for tough situations is not necessarily “work faster and harder” but “Come unto me, all who are weary and heavily burdened and I will give you rest.”
God helps us go farther with prayer — it is fuel with the highest octane.
In case you think your car is a gas-burner, the cruise liner Queen Elizabeth II moves a mere six inches for each gallon of diesel fuel. (Multiply that by fuel costs and you’ll know why an ocean cruise is so expensive.)
That amazing bit of trivia is a reminder that getting somewhere requires fuel. Not only that, now and then most of us have a “cruise liner” day — we burn a lot of energy but don’t go far!
Last week, I had one of those. It was Friday and my granddaughter was here. We both slept a bit later than usual and after we got going, she wanted to go shopping. My to-do list was long and the phone kept ringing.
In the hubbub, I did not take time to pray more than a couple of token sentences. Whenever that happens, by suppertime I’ve little left to keep me going. The worst of it is I know what I need to regain some energy but this time I simply didn’t do it.
One of my favorite Bible stories illustrates our need to be fueled up so we can sail through our responsibilities. Jesus is visits the home of Mary and Martha at dinner time. Martha rushes out to the kitchen but Mary sits at the feet of Jesus. Martha is annoyed and complains to Jesus that Mary should be helping her. Jesus rebukes Martha for being so anxious about her meal that she neglects the “most needful thing.”
Taking time to talk with God is a needful thing. Martha needed it so she could make dinner with the right attitude. I need it for my attitude and for the energy to make it to dinner time. Although most people think praying is bringing God our list of requests, prayer also prepares us for whatever lies ahead.
In the morning, we need strength and wisdom for the day before us. When we talk to God first thing, it helps us remember He is in charge of the universe and nothing is too difficult for Him. It also helps us remember that He loves us and listens to our prayers. Those things calm our hearts — and a calm spirit is energetic and creative.
In the evening, we need to unload our burdens by discussing with Him our concerns. He says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Prayer also insures a good nights sleep!
In between morning and evening, God offers to renew depleting resources. Scripture says, “He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who wait on the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”
Taking time to pray is tough in an age of fast-lane living. It takes a great deal of discipline to spend time in prayer when you already have more to do than hours in your day. It is also difficult when the day past leaves you so exhausted that you fall asleep before your head hits the pillow.
It is even harder to pull over in the middle of the day for a prayer-stop. However, God says the problem of not enough time is not solved by having more of it but by allowing Him to take care of every detail of our lives. His cure for exhaustion is not always more sleep but that our hearts are at rest. His cure for tough situations is not necessarily “work faster and harder” but “Come unto me, all who are weary and heavily burdened and I will give you rest.”
God helps us go farther with prayer — it is fuel with the highest octane.
Friday, February 10, 2017
Time: wasting it or using it? .......... Parables 548
March 3, 1997 ?
In a lifetime, the average North American will spend six months sitting at stop lights, eight months opening junk mail, and five years waiting in line. We might be able to shorten the time on junk mail but what can we do to make the time we wait for other people seem more productive?
Before offering suggestions, maybe waiting is not as bad as we insists it is. Always hurrying can be unhealthy. Taking a breather, even in traffic, can keep some of us from losing our senses. In fact, the bigger problem could be impatience. Inner agitation at whatever puts us on hold is more destructive to mental and physical health than spending a few minutes paused at the mercy of machines, traffic lights or the slow clerk at the other end of the line.
However, life is short enough as it is without filling it with years of do-nothing, waiting-for-someone-else-to move minutes. Demands for increased productivity and for more attention to personal development make us impatient with delays. Instead of allowing those delays to fill us with anxiety or resentment, we can use them wisely.
Standard suggestions for sit-down waiting include writing thank-you notes, reading, planning with a notebook and calendar, and knitting or other crafts. Be sure to include the children if that is your situation. My daughter reads to her younger daughter in waiting rooms, while the older one does her homework.
Some people talk to friends or business associates on their cellular phone. Obviously that works for them, but for some reason, it makes me feel like my privacy is being invaded. Those who would rather keep their business and personal affairs private can dispense with a cell phone but use a laptop computer to write letters or outline a business proposal. More than one person has threatened to bill their doctor for the hours spent waiting; however, in our electronic age, we do not need to put work on hold while someone makes us wait.
Personally, I usually take a notebook with me and plan my shopping list, read and take notes for homework assignments, prepare short speeches, outline a Sunday School lesson or design quilt blocks. I also write in my journal, work through relationship snags and rehearse what I want to say to someone I may owe an apology or explanation.
The best idea is using waiting time to draw closer to God. The Psalms are filled with verses referring to waiting on Him but my favorite passage comes from Isaiah 40:29-31: “(God) gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who wait on the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”
Waiting on God is not the same as being stuck in a hospital waiting room or at the end of a long lineup for tickets. Instead, it is simply refusing to think (worry) about other things or focus on anything else but Him. It is approaching Him as a listener, waiting for His commands and His inner encouragement. It is eagerly standing or sitting still, watching for the signs that He is coming or doing something on our behalf. It is setting aside all the chores and cares of the moment to focus on Him, to hear His voice and be refreshed.
Waiting on God requires time. It takes time to learn how and time to perfect. It also takes time to just do it. If our schedules are already full and making an appointment with Him is difficult, then the best time might be while we are waiting and unable to do anything else.
In a lifetime, the average North American will spend six months sitting at stop lights, eight months opening junk mail, and five years waiting in line. We might be able to shorten the time on junk mail but what can we do to make the time we wait for other people seem more productive?
Before offering suggestions, maybe waiting is not as bad as we insists it is. Always hurrying can be unhealthy. Taking a breather, even in traffic, can keep some of us from losing our senses. In fact, the bigger problem could be impatience. Inner agitation at whatever puts us on hold is more destructive to mental and physical health than spending a few minutes paused at the mercy of machines, traffic lights or the slow clerk at the other end of the line.
However, life is short enough as it is without filling it with years of do-nothing, waiting-for-someone-else-to move minutes. Demands for increased productivity and for more attention to personal development make us impatient with delays. Instead of allowing those delays to fill us with anxiety or resentment, we can use them wisely.
Standard suggestions for sit-down waiting include writing thank-you notes, reading, planning with a notebook and calendar, and knitting or other crafts. Be sure to include the children if that is your situation. My daughter reads to her younger daughter in waiting rooms, while the older one does her homework.
Some people talk to friends or business associates on their cellular phone. Obviously that works for them, but for some reason, it makes me feel like my privacy is being invaded. Those who would rather keep their business and personal affairs private can dispense with a cell phone but use a laptop computer to write letters or outline a business proposal. More than one person has threatened to bill their doctor for the hours spent waiting; however, in our electronic age, we do not need to put work on hold while someone makes us wait.
Personally, I usually take a notebook with me and plan my shopping list, read and take notes for homework assignments, prepare short speeches, outline a Sunday School lesson or design quilt blocks. I also write in my journal, work through relationship snags and rehearse what I want to say to someone I may owe an apology or explanation.
The best idea is using waiting time to draw closer to God. The Psalms are filled with verses referring to waiting on Him but my favorite passage comes from Isaiah 40:29-31: “(God) gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who wait on the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”
Waiting on God is not the same as being stuck in a hospital waiting room or at the end of a long lineup for tickets. Instead, it is simply refusing to think (worry) about other things or focus on anything else but Him. It is approaching Him as a listener, waiting for His commands and His inner encouragement. It is eagerly standing or sitting still, watching for the signs that He is coming or doing something on our behalf. It is setting aside all the chores and cares of the moment to focus on Him, to hear His voice and be refreshed.
Waiting on God requires time. It takes time to learn how and time to perfect. It also takes time to just do it. If our schedules are already full and making an appointment with Him is difficult, then the best time might be while we are waiting and unable to do anything else.
Friday, February 6, 2015
No one is ever really alone ................. Parables 232
(September 19, 1990)
Some people have a great deal of difficulty leaving a blank piece of paper blank. Their urge to make their mark, whether on a napkin or a newly painted wall, is just too powerful to resist. Out comes pen or pocket knife and the void is filled with poems, doodles, sketches, or graffiti.
Others feel ill at ease and self-conscious with complete silence. They have a compulsion to fill it with noise. Talking, turning on the radio or just drumming fingers on the nearest table top becomes a must.
For some, solitude is equally uncomfortable, another blank space that must be filled. Some manage better than others but even loners discover that solitude can last too long. In fact, when confined, few people remain unaffected. Most want noise, activity, other people, something, anything. No wonder solitary is used as a punishment in correctional institutions.
Solitude isn’t God’s punishment though. In fact, I don’t think He wants us to experience it, or its sidekick, loneliness. Neither word is even in the Bible. When God created the first man, He said, “It is not good that man should be alone...” thus Eve was created to be his companion. But sometimes there is no one or nothing to fill our solitude. When that happens, we ought not feel completely abandoned. God did say, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Of course He won’t; it is impossible for Him to do so. He is everywhere. There is no place we can go to escape Him, so no one is ever really alone.
Maybe that is why it is so difficult to be in solitude. With no noise, no diversions, no one else to communicate with, we are left alone in His company. If we have a true concept of God, being shut up with Him is sure to be a disconcerting experience, one that is bound to result in certain responses. One of those might be resistance...
WRESTLING: Jacob, the Old Testament patriarch, spent all one night alone, wrestling with God. He desired a blessing from Him and God desired submission from Jacob. By morning, both were winners: God gave the blessing and from that time on, Jacob was a changed man. If solitude with God winds up in a wrestling match, we profit if we remember that losing is winning. Submission to Him always results in a blessing.
PRAYER: The only times Jesus was alone, at least that are recorded, are occasions when He sought solitude to pray. When we submit to the Lord, solitude can be an excellent time to talk to the only other Person with us in it -- and of course, a great time to listen to Him.
LEARNING: During the many occasions that the disciples spent alone with Jesus, they learned truths He couldn’t teach them in a larger group. For us, solitude also can be a great time to learn from the Lord in a very direct and personal way; but we must listen, not drown Him out with noises of our own.
RETREAT: In John 6:15, we are told the people decided Jesus would make a great king so tried to force Him into the role. Since it was not God’s will at that time, He took off to the mountains, alone. Sometimes the only way we can escape the pressures of our world is to retreat and get away from the pressure. Besides, being alone with Him will better equip us to deal with it.
SEEING JESUS: Perhaps the greatest profit in being alone is realizing who is there with us. In Luke 9, the disciples were alone with Jesus and He asked them who they thought He was. They responded with, “You are the Christ of God.” They knew His identity because each time they were alone with Him He revealed Himself to them in increasing intimacy until finally they were convinced. From then on, their lives were transformed and they became world-changers. It can happen to anyone who values being face to face with Christ.
Solitude might not be our choice at times, but when it is God’s choice for us, it helps us to remember we are never really alone. He is there to fill the empty space and give beauty and meaning to it. Instead of shutting out His voice by turning on the radio or rushing to the telephone, we can choose aloneness to be a wonder-filled opportunity to talk to the Lord, to hear what He has to say and in the process, become more intimate with Him.
Some people have a great deal of difficulty leaving a blank piece of paper blank. Their urge to make their mark, whether on a napkin or a newly painted wall, is just too powerful to resist. Out comes pen or pocket knife and the void is filled with poems, doodles, sketches, or graffiti.
Others feel ill at ease and self-conscious with complete silence. They have a compulsion to fill it with noise. Talking, turning on the radio or just drumming fingers on the nearest table top becomes a must.
For some, solitude is equally uncomfortable, another blank space that must be filled. Some manage better than others but even loners discover that solitude can last too long. In fact, when confined, few people remain unaffected. Most want noise, activity, other people, something, anything. No wonder solitary is used as a punishment in correctional institutions.
Solitude isn’t God’s punishment though. In fact, I don’t think He wants us to experience it, or its sidekick, loneliness. Neither word is even in the Bible. When God created the first man, He said, “It is not good that man should be alone...” thus Eve was created to be his companion. But sometimes there is no one or nothing to fill our solitude. When that happens, we ought not feel completely abandoned. God did say, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Of course He won’t; it is impossible for Him to do so. He is everywhere. There is no place we can go to escape Him, so no one is ever really alone.
Maybe that is why it is so difficult to be in solitude. With no noise, no diversions, no one else to communicate with, we are left alone in His company. If we have a true concept of God, being shut up with Him is sure to be a disconcerting experience, one that is bound to result in certain responses. One of those might be resistance...
WRESTLING: Jacob, the Old Testament patriarch, spent all one night alone, wrestling with God. He desired a blessing from Him and God desired submission from Jacob. By morning, both were winners: God gave the blessing and from that time on, Jacob was a changed man. If solitude with God winds up in a wrestling match, we profit if we remember that losing is winning. Submission to Him always results in a blessing.
PRAYER: The only times Jesus was alone, at least that are recorded, are occasions when He sought solitude to pray. When we submit to the Lord, solitude can be an excellent time to talk to the only other Person with us in it -- and of course, a great time to listen to Him.
LEARNING: During the many occasions that the disciples spent alone with Jesus, they learned truths He couldn’t teach them in a larger group. For us, solitude also can be a great time to learn from the Lord in a very direct and personal way; but we must listen, not drown Him out with noises of our own.
RETREAT: In John 6:15, we are told the people decided Jesus would make a great king so tried to force Him into the role. Since it was not God’s will at that time, He took off to the mountains, alone. Sometimes the only way we can escape the pressures of our world is to retreat and get away from the pressure. Besides, being alone with Him will better equip us to deal with it.
SEEING JESUS: Perhaps the greatest profit in being alone is realizing who is there with us. In Luke 9, the disciples were alone with Jesus and He asked them who they thought He was. They responded with, “You are the Christ of God.” They knew His identity because each time they were alone with Him He revealed Himself to them in increasing intimacy until finally they were convinced. From then on, their lives were transformed and they became world-changers. It can happen to anyone who values being face to face with Christ.
Solitude might not be our choice at times, but when it is God’s choice for us, it helps us to remember we are never really alone. He is there to fill the empty space and give beauty and meaning to it. Instead of shutting out His voice by turning on the radio or rushing to the telephone, we can choose aloneness to be a wonder-filled opportunity to talk to the Lord, to hear what He has to say and in the process, become more intimate with Him.
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