Thursday January 30, 2020
I love my Bible so much. It’s life, water, bread, love, hope. I’ve marked it up like crazy, circling verses and underlining passages that have leapt out from the pages right into my heart. It’s living and breathing and I am in awe of the power of the Word to transform my thoughts and renew my mind.
Some don’t write in their Bible’s but for me writing has always been the connection, the link from my head to my heart. So, I mark up my precious Bible as the Lord speaks and I strive to understand what he is saying.
I treasure it beyond my capacity to explain.
Today I flipped through the pages looking for a verse that would catch my eye. I like doing that sometimes because the Lord’s word never disappoints. He knows what I need when I need it and he always provides the choicest of meals at the banquet table of his Word.
So today Matthew 14:13a caught me. It’s not Psalms as you can tell, but today I stopped on this verse. It says “Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a desolate place by himself…”
The entire reason Jesus was on earth was to minister to mankind and you kind of have to be around people to do that. But the disciples had just passed along some news…John the Baptist had been beheaded.
I love the humanity of Christ in this verse. I love that he needed to get away from the crowds for a bit. I love that he wanted to be alone. I love that he sought out the presence of his Father in that moment to get him through.
In this world of non-stop busyness maybe my response should be solitude. Maybe I’ll recharge better in silence than I would in noise. Maybe I’ll fill my cup in quiet with a refreshing that could not be satisfied with anything other than Jesus.
Later on, in verse 23 it says that Jesus went up on the mountain by himself to pray.
Jesus. By himself. Praying. God in the flesh communing with God the Father.
If Jesus needed it then I do too.
What a sacred gift solitude is. How lovely is the time we take to commune with the Lord, how precious is the silence as we shut off the world and reconnect with our God.
Lord, I love you with all my heart. Teach me the discipline of sitting in silence so I can hear you. Calm my anxious thoughts so that I can freely commune with you. Draw me into your loving presence, shower me with your healing touch, fill me with your Holy Spirit as we sit together – I, in surrender – you, in fulfillment of all your promises.
reflect…
- When was the last time you sat in silent communion with the Lord?
- What excuses are you using to prevent spending time alone to recharge with the Lord?
- I encourage you to commit to prayer and reading the Word in a solitary place where distractions are at a minimum so that the Lord can refresh your heart.