Seeds For Thinking

Link: http://seedsforthinking.oldgleaner.com/

* Turn Aside
* Scripture: Jesus said, “When you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.” Matthew 66, NKJV

Solitary confinement! Now there’s a phrase to send shivers of dread up and down your spine. The thought of being isolated from other people is not pleasant for most of us, especially so if it is enforced isolation. Alone, lonely, lacking companionship. The Great Creator saw that it was not good for man to be alone (Genesis 2:18) and provided for loving relationships, not only between man and wife, but families, tribes and nations.
Still, there seems to be a place for solitude in the scheme of things, at least in the sense of withdrawing from the din and clamor of worldly distractions that wear down the soul. I find precedent for a certain amount of solitude within the pages of the Bible.
While the Lord can and does speak to people in the midst of many, even to the sending of the Spirit, it is often in the quiet moments that the insight of dreams and visions is visited upon those who wait upon the Lord.
Jacob was in an isolated spot between Beersheba and Haran when God revealed His presence and His plan for Jacob in the dream of the ladder.
Jacob was again alone (Genesis 32:24) when a Man wrestled with him until the breaking of day. From that day, Jacob and his descendants have been called by the name of “Israel.”
God appeared to Moses in the “back of the desert” (Exodus Ch. 3) in the midst of a burning bush. Note that Moses “turned aside” from what he was doing at the moment. That, I think. is the essence of our time with God; we must take time to “turn aside” and see what God wishes to share with us.
So, no, we don’t have to become a hermit, withdrawing from human companionship, nor enter into monastic seclusion. Rather, we should seek those moments of solitude whenever and where ever we can. Sort of like when we take an electronic device out of active service for a time to recharge the batteries.
Jesus often withdrew from the crowds, and even from the company of a few, to pray and talk to God, beginning with the time in the wilderness, prior to beginning His ministry. The devil spoke to Jesus there (so beware!) but even in that confrontation, Jesus was able to affirm the omnipotence of God and tell the devil to “get lost.” Time to think through and sort out priorities.
Again, in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus went a short distance from the disciples to pray. Not an actual separate room - just time away from the hustle and hassle of the world.
Cherish that solitary time - just you and the Lord.
May 22, 2005