Lent 3: Solitude
Mark 1:35
"Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed."
Do you find it easy to be alone? Some people do while for others it is quite a challenge. I was one of the "challenged" people.... being alone meant boredom or, even worse, tapping into what was going on inside of me. So when friends of mine were reading Henri Nouwen's "Out of Solitude" and talking about the benefits of taking time to be alone with God, I found it scary but appealing. Now, to help you understand my story, I was reading my Bible and praying regularly at this time. I even journalled what I was learning and wrote out Bible passages that encouraged me. But I didn't know how to be still before God, to be in a solitary place with God where my prayer included not only talking to God but also listening to Him. The process of learning to listen to God is ongoing but one of the first things I realized I had to do was deal with all the internal noise I had - the various voices, thoughts, and feelings that needed to be sorted out and brought under the Lordship of Jesus. So, if you are new to solitude, don't be surprised if the first times you try it, you find that you are dealing more with your internal world than hearing God speak. I think that's normal.... and I think that is exactly where God's Word and Spirit will start to speak to us.
Our verse for today comes from an action-packed passage in which Jesus has just spent the evening healing the sick and driving out demons at Simon and Andrew's house. (Mark 1:29-39) It ends with Simon and friends finding Jesus (in his time of solitude) and exclaiming "Everyone is looking for you!" (Mark 1:37b) to which Jesus' replies that he is going somewhere else to keep preaching in other villages. In the busyness of our lives, Jesus shows us that it is possible to practice solitude. Here's how:
1) "Very early, in the morning, while it was still dark": pick a time when you can "get away" from all the action of your life. It may be difficult, but it is possible.
2) "Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place": we need to actually get away. Setting a time is great but you need to get up and go to that solitary place. The place doesn't need to be outside of your home but it does need to be somewhere that you can be alone (at least until someone comes looking for you*)
3) "where he prayed": Once you have a time and place, the next step is to pray - to talk to God about what is really going on and to take time to be still to listen to His Word and Spirit speaking.
*The fact that Jesus' followers interupted his time of prayer helps me be more accepting of the times that my children need me when I don't quite feel finished in my quiet time with God. Or finished with a blog which is what is happening right now...gotta run!
"Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed."
Do you find it easy to be alone? Some people do while for others it is quite a challenge. I was one of the "challenged" people.... being alone meant boredom or, even worse, tapping into what was going on inside of me. So when friends of mine were reading Henri Nouwen's "Out of Solitude" and talking about the benefits of taking time to be alone with God, I found it scary but appealing. Now, to help you understand my story, I was reading my Bible and praying regularly at this time. I even journalled what I was learning and wrote out Bible passages that encouraged me. But I didn't know how to be still before God, to be in a solitary place with God where my prayer included not only talking to God but also listening to Him. The process of learning to listen to God is ongoing but one of the first things I realized I had to do was deal with all the internal noise I had - the various voices, thoughts, and feelings that needed to be sorted out and brought under the Lordship of Jesus. So, if you are new to solitude, don't be surprised if the first times you try it, you find that you are dealing more with your internal world than hearing God speak. I think that's normal.... and I think that is exactly where God's Word and Spirit will start to speak to us.
Our verse for today comes from an action-packed passage in which Jesus has just spent the evening healing the sick and driving out demons at Simon and Andrew's house. (Mark 1:29-39) It ends with Simon and friends finding Jesus (in his time of solitude) and exclaiming "Everyone is looking for you!" (Mark 1:37b) to which Jesus' replies that he is going somewhere else to keep preaching in other villages. In the busyness of our lives, Jesus shows us that it is possible to practice solitude. Here's how:
1) "Very early, in the morning, while it was still dark": pick a time when you can "get away" from all the action of your life. It may be difficult, but it is possible.
2) "Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place": we need to actually get away. Setting a time is great but you need to get up and go to that solitary place. The place doesn't need to be outside of your home but it does need to be somewhere that you can be alone (at least until someone comes looking for you*)
3) "where he prayed": Once you have a time and place, the next step is to pray - to talk to God about what is really going on and to take time to be still to listen to His Word and Spirit speaking.
*The fact that Jesus' followers interupted his time of prayer helps me be more accepting of the times that my children need me when I don't quite feel finished in my quiet time with God. Or finished with a blog which is what is happening right now...gotta run!
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