Sweet Solitude

When I was younger, I hated being alone. I wanted people and noise all around me at all times. When things became quiet and I was left to myself, I literally did not know what to do. Sometimes I would waste my time by watching some senseless TV show. Or I would try to busy myself with some task to avoid feeling isolated. Even so, a deep sense of loneliness would creep over me and before long my emotions would get the best of me. I would mistake being alone with being unloved and undesired. I did not take advantage of the opportunity to enjoy being by myself. I did not know God intimately and so speaking to Him or reading from His Word never even occurred to me. Thankfully now that I am older and know the Lord, I can honestly say that I savor the time when I am completely alone. No noise, no people, just me and my God. I have also learned over the years that I really am not alone at all. Jesus is with me every minute of every day.

I find it interesting that even Jesus took time to be alone by Himself and His Father. At times He literally sent people away so that He could be alone and pray. "After He dismissed them, He went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Matthew 14:23" Usually He would awaken early to go off by Himself to pray. "At daybreak, Jesus went out to a solitary place. Luke 4:42" Being alone and seeking this solitude was an important priority for Jesus and even in His very busy schedule, He made the time to be alone with his Father. He knew that He could not do His work or maintain His fellowship in full power without His quiet time.

It is during these “alone” times that I have learned the most about God. Of course there is a place for “corporate” worship, prayer, and bible study groups, etc., but the times when I have felt the closest to God are the times when I have been completely alone with Him. The times He has revealed the deepest revelations to me are the times when I have been alone. The times I have found peace sweeping over my anxious thoughts are not the times when I have been busy talking things over with friends, but the times when I have been on my knees alone. I have come to realize that spending time ALONE with God is absolutely necessary if I desire to grow spiritually. Solitude with God has nurtured my relationship with Him in a way nothing else has. Spending this quality time with the Lord daily equips me to meet life’s many challenges and struggles. He gives me His power, His grace, and above all His perspective, which is so much better than mine.

My questions is “If Jesus had to get up very early just to get some “alone” time with God, how much more is this true for us today?” We must not get so busy that life turns into a flurry of activity leaving no room for quiet fellowship alone with God. The acronym for BUSY is "Being Under Satan’s Yoke". I am quite sure that Satan loves it when we are distracted and too busy to spend time alone with God. We may being doing all the right things with all the right people in all the right motives; however, if we make no room for God we will be acting in our own strength and it is only a matter of time before we “burn out”. Strength comes from God, and we can only be strengthened by spending time with Him. There is power of a life hidden in Christ.

Andrew Bonar once said, “In order to grow in grace, we must be much alone. It is not in society that the soul grows most vigorously. In one single quiet hour of prayer it will often make more progress than in days of company with others.” How true this statement is! No large growth in holiness will ever be gained by someone who does not take the time to be often and long, alone with God.

Remember there will always be plenty of things clamoring for our attention, many of them good things. My challenge to you is to seek first the kingdom of God. Enter into His presence by spending time with God first, and our very great reward will be that He will give us His power, His strength, and His wisdom. We will walk away from this time with him not feeling lonely or unloved, but refreshed, energized, and ready to conquer anything that comes our way. How? Because we have fed our Spirits with the living God who empowers and equips us for every good work that He has prepared for us to do. Best of all, we won’t tire out, and we won’t ever feel lonely.

But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed. Luke 5:16

Come to me all you who are weary and heavy burdened and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28 But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed. Luke 5:16

Be still and know that I am God. Isaiah 46:10

Unceasing Prayer

As Christians we know that Christ lives within us. That means he is in the very center of our physical being. He is in the midst of our brain, and in the midst of our nerve centers. He dwells within us physically and spiritually and the more mindful we are of His presence, the more prayerful we will be. Prayer is nothing more than keeping company with God. Far too long I have limited my prayer time with God to routine morning devotions. It always felt wonderful starting my morning with God and I felt energized and empowered to live a life worthy of Him. However, more often than not, by the time late afternoon arrived, I would find myself becoming impatient, annoyed and quickly falling into that slippery slope of sinfulness. It always bothered me that I could spend such wonderful communion with the Lord and yet by the end of the day all visible traces of any godliness were totally absent. It is becoming apparent to me that not only is setting aside time each day for solitude with God imperative, I must learn to walk “moment by moment” with Him. Only then will I be able to truly live out the Christian life God desires for me. How do you keep company with God like that?

The Bible gives us the answer… pray unceasingly (1 Thes 5:17). But how on earth can we pray unceasingly? We have jobs to do, places to go, people to meet. I believe I found the answer this morning in my quiet time with the Lord. Unceasing prayer means keeping company with God all the time. It is conversing with Him frequently throughout the day because we realize that He is with us all the time. There is never a time we are apart. We become so conscious of God that we begin to include Him in every detail of our lives. And yes, it means we inquire of Him before we make decisions…both big and small. It means knowing He cares so much about us that He desires to help us in making our choices. Lord, is this the right time for our family to own a pet? Lord, what type of washing machine should I purchase? Lord, I need help in managing my finances. Lord, should I apply for this job? God wants to be in every facet of our lives. Not just our morning devotions! Yet, how often do we just leave Him there, forgetting to invite Him into the rest of our day? I have been guilty of doing that over and over and then I wonder why things just didn’t turn out quite right. I prayed to you this morning Lord. Wasn’t that enough?

Corrie ten Boom, a wonderful and dedicated Christian, once said, “Is prayer your steering wheel or is it your spare tire?” Wow! That is powerful. That is a challenge for all of us. I know there is more of God to discover. Deeper conversations to be had. More secrets from His Word to be revealed. We have to remember though that prayer is not some “magical formula” that will grant us all our wishes. Prayer is an integral part of our relationship with God. Prayer is simply talking with God. It is pouring out our soul to Him, telling Him our deepest desires, our hurts, and our concerns. One of the primary ways God speaks loudly is through the pages of the Bible. It is our job to listen, to meditate and ponder on what He says. He will comfort us, encourage us, challenge us, convict us, and show us a larger view of Himself if we but take the time to immerse ourselves in His Word. But when He speaks, He also requires a response from us. We communicate that response in prayer. It may be silent reverence, it may be thanksgiving, it may be repentance, it may be commitment, or it may be a yielding of our own will to His. The Bible will change our prayer life and lift it to new heights.

I have a challenge for you (and me)--next time you find yourself worrying, immediately begin to pray. Tell God what you are worried about and let His peace flow through you. You must always remember that He is in control. Worrying does not help us one bit. When you find yourself not knowing what to say to a friend in need, quickly ask God to whisper to your heart and give you the right words. When you need to make a quick decision about something, step away for a moment, and ask the Lord for guidance in making the right choice.

As we begin to live a life of prayer in fellowship with our Lord, we will begin to experience a peace that is independent of feelings or circumstances. This is one of the many blessings God gives to His children. And always remember, we are never alone. God is with us always, beckoning and wooing us to come to Him.

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thes 5:16-18

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.

As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. Joshua 1:5

God's Point of View

I just finished reading a true-story of a man who lost his entire family in a flash flood in Kansas during the summer of 2003. His wife and four young children all died as the floodwaters engulfed them. In a split second his entire life changed. He was the sole survivor left to carry on without his precious family. It was a gut-wrenching story to read but it spoke volumes about his character and his eternal perspective. Although grief-stricken beyond belief, he was able to carry on because he knew God and His promise of eternal life with Him one day. I could relate to his story because, I too, have experienced extreme sorrow when my own 9 year old son died in a freak accident many years ago. Although I did not have a personal relationship with God at the time, the intense grief and sorrow paved the way to a relationship with my Lord. I quickly discovered that no one nor anything could give me the hope I so desperately needed. I found that hope in Jesus alone. I began reading the Bible and took Him at His word. Over time, He gave me an eternal perspective and I realized that He used my suffering, tears and pain to give me a new vision and purpose for my life. It was to know, love, obey and serve Him. I did not have all the answers to why these horrible tragedies occur, but I didn’t need to know why. I just needed to trust Him and know that He would use them for my good and for His glory.

As I immersed myself in His Word I began to get God’s point of view. His promises filled me with hope and increased my faith exponentially. Since we live in a fallen world, it is inevitable that we are going to experience pain, disappointments, and sorrow. When earthly dreams disappoint and our future seems to be on hold, what will enable us to carry on? When people fail or hurt us, what will we turn to? When sorrow comes knocking on our door, what will bring us hope? Every single day of our lives we need God’s perspective or we will surely fall apart.

We’ve got a choice. We can look at life two ways. Either we can look at what is seen, what is temporal. This consists of man’s view of his feelings and circumstances and is seen and experienced with the physical eye. Or we can look at life at what is not seen, yet is eternal. This is God’s eternal perspective. We may not be able to see with physical eyes since it is invisible, but nevertheless it is true and real. This perspective gives us hope and anchors our soul and is totally independent of any outside events or circumstances.

There is only one place where we can find God’s point of view and that is in the Bible. It is there that we will gain God’s perspective on any given situation. But in order to do so, there are a few things we need to do.

• We must be a Christian. (You must first be a Christian to understand spiritual things. 1 Cor 2:6-26)
• We must acknowledge our present situation in life. (You can’t gain a proper perspective if you deny your circumstances. The truth will set you free.)
• We must discover God’s point of view in His Word. (Find God’s promises related to your situation in life. Forego telling all the friends and neighbors your situation. Go to God instead.)
• We must take God at His Word. (Act according to the eternal perspective you see in God’s Word. Walk by faith, not be sight.)

Remember that faith is a choice, a decision, not a feeling. It is important to act on God’s Word and not just read it. Inotherwords, be a doer. What good is it if we fill our mind with God’s truth but don’t live it out? As we gain an eternal perspective, we will experience the power of God’s Word at work in our lives. We will be walking by faith and not by sight!

Life on earth is but a brief moment compared to eternity. So let us make it a priority to see God in everything and live the brief life He gave us on earth in light of our eternal life with Christ.

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. 2 Cor 4:18

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. Heb 11:1

Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and rewards those who earnestly seek Him. Heb 11:6