5 Minute Read
Prepare Your Heart
To the best of your ability, get rid of all distractions. Take a few minutes to breathe deeply and quiet yourself in the Lord’s presence. Then, ask the Lord to speak to you in this time. Let Him know that you will listen and make whatever adjustments He will reveal to you.
Read God’s Word
A Verse for Today
Slowly and reflectively read the following verse(s) and listen to what God will say to you through His written Word. Consider writing down any insights He reveals to you.
Luke 4:42 (CSB): “When it was day, he went out and made his way to a deserted place. But the crowds were searching for him. They came to him and tried to keep him from leaving them.”
Reflecting on God’s Word
Quite a few years ago, I took my family out west. We served alongside a church planter in Denver and then drove over the Rockies into southeastern Utah. We stayed the night in Green River, Utah, and then hopped in the car the next morning to continue heading west.
I stopped at a gas station to fill the tank and then drove my family toward the interstate. As I turned right onto the entrance ramp, I noticed a sign that said, “No Services Next 107 Miles.” That was the distance to Salina, the next town. Between Green River and Salina, there would be no gas stations, no fast food restaurants, no towns, nothing(!) except some sparsely scattered lonely parking lots to pull over and admire the rugged beauty around us.
Even though I had just filled the tank, that sign made me look down at my gauge just to make sure. Since every mile I traveled would take much-needed gas out of my tank, I needed to know that I had filled it up enough to make the trip. I didn’t want to hit empty in the middle of nowhere!
Our lives are like that. So much pulls from us. People pull from us. Our duties pull from us. Difficulties pull from us. So much around us is draining our tank. That’s why we need to ensure our tank is regularly filled so that we don’t “hit empty in the middle of nowhere!”
Since Jesus came to our world as a human like us (except without sin), we aren’t surprised that He needed to regularly fill up His tank. He carved out time to get away and spend time alone with His Father. All four Gospel writers picked up on this!
Matthew 14:23 (CSB): “After dismissing the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. Well into the night, he was there alone.”
Mark 1:35 (CSB): “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he got up, went out, and made his way to a deserted place; and there he was praying.”
Luke 5:15-16 (CSB): “But the news about him spread even more, and large crowds would come together to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. Yet he often withdrew to deserted places and prayed.”
Luke 6:12 (CSB): “During those days he went out to the mountain to pray and spent all night in prayer to God.”
John 6:15 (CSB): “Therefore, when Jesus realized that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain by himself.”
These are just a few of the verses and instances that tell us that Jesus valued alone time with His Father. Of the verses I just provided, only one (Mark 1:35) tells us that Jesus’ alone time was short-circuited when people found Him and called Him back to ministry. He enjoyed the soul-satisfying and healing time that only silence and solitude could provide.
But in Mark 1:35 and in our verse for today, we observe that His private location was discovered, and He was called back to ministry.
Luke 4:42 (CSB): “When it was day, he went out and made his way to a deserted place. But the crowds were searching for him. They came to him and tried to keep him from leaving them.”
We must strive for a balance. Like Jesus, we must carve out times in our days and weeks when we can disengage from the loud, chaotic world around us and fill our “tanks.” That can only happen as we connect with our Lord in prayer.
There will be times when we feel like our “tanks” are running dangerously low, and yet we will be called back to ministry. If the need demands it, then we must wisely and prayerfully put ourselves on hold to serve others.
But if we keep doing that repeatedly, we will run out of fuel. And when our emotional and spiritual tank runs dry, bad things will happen.
Let me conclude by asking you a couple of questions:
- Do you need a time of silence and solitude right now?
- When will you schedule at least one time when you can be alone with God to get recharged?
Spend Time in Prayer
- Ask God to help you see how some of your internal struggles may be due to not having sufficient time in silence and solitude with the Lord.
- Ask God to help you follow Jesus’ example by being busy in ministry and taking strategic times of silence and solitude to be with the Lord.
Going Deeper
If you want to dig a little deeper into the importance of spending time alone with God, consider reading the following GotQuestions article:
“Why is it important to spend time alone with God?”
“What does the Bible say about the value of solitude?”
Sharing
If this post has been helpful to you or if you think it could help others, please consider tapping one of the social media buttons below to share it on your favorite platform.
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Matt Ellis is the pastor of First Baptist Church in Polk City, Florida (fbcpolkcity.com)
Matt’s Musings 