Jesus in the Lonely Places

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


Our pastor used to say we got "played out". That is, the demands of everyday living had worn us out, with our spiritual reservoir suffering from a drought. Hence, our overall vitality was lacking. On the other hand, Jesus withdrew from his ministry efforts, even after success, and talked to God. And he went to "lonely places" to do this.

This is where Jesus refueled. Rather than stay with people all the time and rev them up, he worked on his relationship with God, and if you will, got revved up. It was in the solitary places that he did this, not places with lots of colorful, loud stimulation, but solitary places. He wasn't seeking an adrenaline rush, but real power from his Father.

I've been reading recently about the human aspect of Jesus, how he was human like us, with power and wisdom coming from the Father via times of spiritual connections. The point of stressing this is that, like Him, we can get the power and wisdom from the Father in the same way. Just as Jesus relied on the Father, so can we.

I suspect our approach may be quite different. Sometimes we go to the adrenaline generators, things that provide their own stimulation, but aren't quite the same as going to God. Our reliance is on activity or technology to "do it" for us. Jesus may very well have used electronic technology had it been available in his day, but he would not have allowed it to interrupt his times of solitude. That, I think, is how Jesus avoided getting "played out".
By beanscot's husband

BLESSED QUIETNESS - Union Chapel Missionary Baptist - Men of Union