Matthew 14:22-23: Immediately after this, Jesus insisted that His disciples get back into the boat and cross to the other side of the lake, while He sent the people home. After sending them home, He went up into the hills by himself to pray. Night fell while He was there alone.
There’s something unique about living in the mountains of North Georgia (in the southern region of the US). It’s the place that many people travel to when they’re on vacation or when they just want to get away from it all. It doesn’t matter where you go when you need some time to be refreshed, however, as long as you take the time to get away.
Jesus showed us the principle of separating ourselves from the crowd by His own example. Many times in the Gospels, we read where Jesus would simply disappear and head to the mountains to pray and seek His Father alone. As a pastor, I hear people complain about having to stay on the job; they need a break, but can’t afford to go anywhere. Nevertheless, you can get away with the Lord and not even leave your property. Simply find a quiet place where you can concentrate on the Lord and abide there.
Vacations are wonderful for getting out of the office and away from the everyday duties and drudgeries so that you can clear your mind and rest your body. Do you ever consider, however, that you need time away just to refresh your soul in the same way that Jesus did in the mountains near Jerusalem? When we grow weary in well-doing, it opens the door for the enemy to begin to attack our weakened state. This doesn’t always call for a trip to the beach or a scenic trip up to a mountainous get-away, but it does require that we find our own little sanctuary. We all need a place of solitude where we can be alone with the Lord and allow Him to wash over us with His love and presence.
The Bible tells us that we can be replenished in times of refreshing when we take the time to seek the Lord alone. If we neglect setting aside time be with the Lord—allowing Him to pour back into us—then we will become dull and drained. Our perspective on life can become skewed because of feeling worn down.
Your alone time with God shouldn’t be a time of fleshly indulgence, but rather a sacred time of sacrifice—a time where your main objective is to be filled with the power and goodness of God. Once you forsake everything in an effort to be filled with the Lord’s goodness, it brings the opportunity for the Lord to capture your full attention. Now you’re in a position to experience the presence and peace of God unlike anywhere else. When we sacrificially honor the Lord by seeking Him alone, He will visit us in a very real way that empowers us with fresh vision and new life. —submitted by Pastor Asa Dockery, US
