Lonely Places

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

THOUGHT: For his three years of intense, public ministry, Jesus was constantly ‘on.’ He had to be on point, on alert, and on task, doing exactly what his Father in heaven asked. Any of you with public jobs, children, or ministry know what that’s like. Sometimes it’s fun, exhilarating, demanding – sometimes it’s just draining to deal with people all day, every day (and night).

Jesus had to recharge mentally, physically, and spiritually and prayer and lonely places were his go-to. Scripture says “the wilderness,” or “the desert” or “remote,” or “desolate,” or “out-of-the-way” places. In fact, he found places others avoided both in ministry and prayer, and there he found relationship with God. Jesus learned to know his Father in new and robust ways in silence and without distraction. Face it, there’s not much to distract in the desert unless you count heat, thirst, and the occasional lizard – but it was God on the heart and mind of Jesus, not his own comfort.

PRAYER: Come to me in my own lonely places, oh Lord God. I want to see and hear and grow to the sound of your still small voice (1 Kings 19:12).

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Blogger Amy Clemens is the author of Walking When You’d Rather Fly: Meditations on Faith After the Fall. In it she explores childhood sexual abuse and how it impacted her faith (or lack thereof) for four decades. You’ll find not only her story, but better yet, the Big Story of God.

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