“Now when it was day,
He departed and went into a deserted place…So He Himself often withdrew into
the wilderness and prayed.” Luke 4:42, 5:16
One of the most important principles that the life and walk
of Jesus exemplified is the necessity of rest, renewal and determined solitude
with God. Throughout the New Testament
are snapshots of when Jesus quietly and intentionally separated Himself from
the noises and demands of His work. He
was very intentional in teaching the Word and committed to the purpose in which
God created Him. But He also understood
that the strength and power required to carry out God’s plan was given by God
and through God. In order to receive what
He was to give to others He must first receive what God would give to Him. Without His determined times of solitude with
God, He would have experienced burn out and burden just as we will without rest
and prayer.
I can’t help but to wonder how many of us today are facing
circumstances that in our own power and wisdom will not be resolved. I’m wondering how many of us shot out of bed,
pulled out our to-do’s and rushed past our time with the Father. Even if we get good rest through the night,
that doesn’t mean that we will have spiritual rest during the day. ‘When
we acknowledge spiritual rest as an important detail that Jesus refused to neglect,
our capacity to emulate His love for the world will increase…Know your limits…know
that your time won’t look like someone else’s limits…Remember, carving out
space for spiritual renewal helps us to listen to God’s voice with clarity,
deepen our intimacy with Him, determine His will for our lives, and find
strength to obey it.’ Determined, Heather M Dixon, p. 49.
We can only give to others what we have already received
from God. The more solitude spent with
the Source will increase our capacity to love and serve those who God has
placed in our lives.
‘Seek first the
kingdom of God and His righteousness and these things will be given to you.”
Matthew 6:33.
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