But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed. Luke 5:16 NIV
Be still and know that I am God. Psalms 46:10
What was it about the places that Jesus chose that made Luke call them ‘lonely’? Other translations use the word ‘desolate’, ‘wilderness’, ‘desert’, ‘remote’, ‘out-of-the-way’, ‘deserted’, or simply, ‘a place where he could be alone.’ These are the places that most of us avoid. Many people will do anything, frankly, to avoid being alone, although the introverts among us understand its value. Still, even they may simply slip to their study or bedroom and close the door, or isolate themselves with headphones or a book to be ‘alone’. That’s not the same as withdrawing to a desolate, remote, out-of-the-way wilderness. There is nothing there to comfort a thirsty, dusty, harried, and sometimes hunted human being. Nothing to distract us from communion with God.
Moses sought the lonely places by running from Pharaoh and the accusing whispers of his fellow Hebrews after he killed an Egyptian. Paul sought the lonely places after his encounter with the risen Jesus changed his life and mission, and his boldness almost got him killed. Jesus sought the lonely places so he could be alone with his father. Each of them met God in these places. You might even call them sanctuary, a place of refuge.
Ruth Haley Barton makes the case in Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership that Moses’ first exercise of his leadership was his killing of the Egyptian taskmaster. Until then, he was a young man without a country, so to speak; caught between the Hebrew blood that ran in his veins and the cloak of privilege on his shoulders. Suddenly one day, his anger exploded as if he could no longer contain the ambivalence within him; and just as suddenly, he disappeared into the desert to avoid confrontation with either of the cultures that sought to own him. There, he found out who he was, and God shaped and honed the leadership skills that started out so painfully. In short, God used Moses’ lonely places to carry out God’s purposes for a lifetime of leadership.
Did Paul’s journey of escape bear similar marks? I’ve often wondered just exactly how one recovers from being an assassin. We know how hard it is to forgive ourselves, even when we are assured that God has forgiven us. Moses killed one man; Paul killed many. But whatever the powerful process of recovery looked like, Paul emerged from Tarsus with Barnabas after some time apart, and launched a ministry of incredible impact.
In subtle and profound ways, we too can feel this inner warring of cultures experienced by Moses and Paul. Do we belong to our boss? Our spouse? Our parents? Our children? Our teachers? Our cultural heritage? Our church? Our past? Who owns our soul? Finally, overwhelmed, we run to the lonely places. Away, away from the noise and voices of this life to the wilderness sanctuary – sometimes literally, sometimes figuratively — and hopefully find ourselves still before the Great I Am. There he speaks, and we listen to the comfort he provides for thirsty, dusty, harried, and sometimes hunted human beings. We are done with talking and long to hear his voice. He tells us who we most truly are, and calls us to the bigger story he is telling. By still waters, the creator and sustainer restores our soul. We emerge, not defined by our roles, or our past; but renamed, refined, and restored for his purpose, and a story that is bigger than our own.
This is a place to lead from, says Barton. And I agree.
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