Monday, March 24, 2008
Living for God
Series
Mark 1:35 “Very early in the morning,
while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went to a solitary
place where he prayed.”
Away From the
Crowd
Sometimes
as a parent I want to have time to spend with each of my children
alone. Last week when Christina was at home from seminary she and I
went out to lunch together and just talked. I had time with just her and I
enjoyed it very much. We communicated with our hearts. I
believe God wants time with us, sometimes away from the busyness and muchness of
life. Just as I spent time with Christina, I know God wants to spend
time with us. The complete goal of these devotionals is to provide a means
for you to spend time with God and not miss the daily experience of His
presence.
One of my favorite books is Robinson Crusoe by
Daniel Defoe. In 1790 the book became immediately famous and sold 80,000
copies in four editions in the first five months of its printing. The
book, of course, was about a man who was alone on a deserted island.
He had been very restless in pursuing his vision of success and adventure when
his life was halted by the screaming brakes of complete solitude on a deserted
island. Andrew Wythe illustrated Robinson Crusoe. There
are two pictures that remain in my mind – one of his desperation at first
realizing the truth of his desolation on the island. The second shows him
reading the Bible and looking very peaceful.
If we came to the understanding of complete aloneness,
in a Robinson Crusoe-like experience, we would initially be desperate, but
hopefully find peace in the ever-presence of God.
People commonly say to me, “There is something wrong
with my life. I don’t know what it is. I’m so stressed and so
overwhelmed.” The best answer is that we need to spend time with God alone and
let Him assure us of His love for us. In His presence we can find
peace away from the complex and busy world we live in.
Jesus spent much time away from people and the crowd to
be with God. He would go alone to spend time with Him. Before
Jesus began his ministry He spent 40 days in the desert just with God. We
are told in Luke that He spent time praying before He chose his
disciples. When something difficult happened like the death of John
the Baptist, he went to spend time apart from the crowd. He also did that
after the Feeding of the 5,000. He told his disciples to take time
to pray by themselves as He did after healings, the transfiguration, and other
significant events. He spent time alone in
Prayer:
Dear God, help me to find solitude with you.
Amen.