Withdraw to Lonely Places

Where do you live? Are you in a small town where everyone knows everyone else, big city where familiarity and neighborly behavior is considered quaint and the energy emitted by the constant flow propels you forward almost effortlessly? Are you in a house, an apartment, a mobile home or perhaps even a motel? We talk about a quiet place in your garden. Perhaps you don’t have the same luxuries that some of us may have with yards to plant in and places of our own to retreat to. Perhaps your quiet place is a public park or perhaps your garden is the Ficus tree or Peace Lily someone gave you as a housewarming gift. Wherever it is, whatever it is, I encourage you to make it as quiet as possible. How comfortable are you in the quiet where you can hear all your thoughts? Walk away from your computer. On second thought, shut it down. Now turn off the cell phone, the radio, the I-pod, the TV, microwave, ceiling fan…. whatever you’ve got on to distract your mind…shut it all down. It's like a little Yoga-size but with Jesus! Feel how much pressure is relieved from your body when all the humming and buzzing is eliminated. You just won’t realize how much mental congestion you surround yourself with until it is all eliminated. Now sit in the silence for 5 minutes. Just start with 5 minutes. A bit disconcerting until you acclimate to it, isn’t it?
Christ retreated to a quiet place whenever He needed to recharge and talk to His heavenly Father. It is noted several times how He retreated to mountains or to places of solitude. The definition of solitude is “the state of being alone; seclusion.” or “a lonely, unfrequented place” from Webster’s Dictionary. It is more and more difficult for us to set ourselves off to in place of solitude for any amount of time but oh, how imperative it is!

Check these references and read the situations surrounding them, as time permits.

John 6:15
Luke 22:39-46
Luke 6:12
Luke 5:16


Take time to be quiet and restore your soul.