A Place of Solace

Luke 5:16, “And he withdrew himself into the wilderness, and prayed.” 

Matthew 14:23, “And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone.” 

It is obvious that Jesus often withdrew from the crowds and got alone with His Father.  He used these times to pray, to refresh His soul, and to seek direction.  What an example we would do well to follow. After Jesus got away from things, He would return with renewed power and begin to minister again. Jesus knew that fatigue could be costly, that’s why He taught His disciples the principle of periodic isolation. In Mark 6:31, Jesus told His disciples, “Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while:” 

God created the universe in six days and on the seventh day, He rested; He paused.  Why is pushing the pause button so hard to do in our own lives?  Why do we think we can have power with God without periods of isolation. The ministries of Moses, Paul, John the Baptist, John the Disciple, and the Apostles, were intermingled with seasons of isolation.  The most overwhelming outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the New Testament began with believers gathered in an upper room to pray and wait. 

Life is demanding. Work is demanding.  Raising children is demanding.  Ministry is demanding. People are demanding.  Success in anything demands our time, our energy, our focus, and a clear heart and clear mind.  We need power from God. We need His touch.  We must learn to schedule time alone with Him. It is the most overlooked secret to God’s power in our lives.  How can we hear the still small voice of God if our lives are filled with busyness and living at a frantic pace?  Now, more than ever, we need quiet time. A quiet place and a quiet heart and mind to listen, to pray, to seek God’s face and His direction about the decisions we make.  Learning to push the pause button is the seed bed for power, peace, and the presence of God. “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). Unless we build a regular quiet time into our busy schedules, we run the risk of physical, emotional, and spiritual overload. Burnout! 

The Pastor’s Pockets this week will be dwelling a lot on prayer. 

The Pastor’s Pocket

Pastor Bruce Freeman

 

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