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.
Mark 1:35
Perhaps there is a spiritual
lesson to learn from this island. Before believers connect with the busyness of
the world, a time of solitude is needed. Numerous times scripture records
Jesus’ practice of solitude and prayer. Luke tells us that Jesus spent an
entire night on a mountainside praying before choosing His disciples. (Luke
6:12) Chapter 9 of Luke records three times Jesus withdrew to pray. If Jesus,
the Son of God, needed time of solitude with God, then certainly we believers
do also.
I am reminded of a story I
once read about a West African village. The village Christians had no privacy
for prayer in their huts, so each Christian journeyed into the bush behind his
hut for time in prayer. After a while there was a worn track from the hut to
the place of prayer. If that track became overgrown from want of use, another
Christian villager would admonish his neighbor, “Brother, there is something
wrong with your prayer track.”
Is there something wrong
with your prayer track, or do you delight in your morning solitude with God?
Perhaps like the psalmist you can say As
the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul
thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? (Psalm
37:1-2).
Lord, cause my soul to thirst for time alone with
You. Use my solitude with You to prepare me to face the world. Amen.
Jan Burkhart
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