There are two places on the whole earth that my heart and mind yearn for when it just seems like life is so fast-paced that I just want to escape. These two places have always held a special place in my life. And although these two places are separated by hundreds of miles and certainly with a considerable difference in elevation, they have a singular benefit to my life: solitude and simple life. Although it has been many years since I had visited the Big Horn Mountains, my memories are of a quiet place with crisp and clean air, and a vast beautiful landscape with Cloud Peak looming in the distance. I think of that mountain often when desires to be some place cool, refreshing, and a challenge. The second place is my grandparents’ farm. Although it may not have majestic mountains but it holds two similar mesmerizing events: picturesque sunsets and solitude. Along with that, both places are known for quiet…just complete silence.
Luke 15 reveals something very telling that more and more I find myself desiring to do the same. In verse 15 Jesus is busy ministering and serving. Verse 16 says, “So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed”. Often we simplify it to Jesus going to His prayer closet or devoting time for prayer like many of us may do before we serve in ministry or every morning or evening.
But a yearning in my heart—and has been growing more and more—that I see in Jesus is that He had to push Himself away from everyone and everything. Picture this, He is with His twelve. He is ministering: whether in parables or directly, healing and delivering. And yet we view Jesus as always there giving and giving and giving. But to view Jesus desiring anything for Himself would be sacrilegious. Yes, Jesus was God in the flesh but we fail to remember that He, too, was flesh and did get hungry.
But verse 16 stands out—and perhaps recalls the time of 40-day fasting He did—because He withdrew Himself from everything for only time for Himself. This was a time of recharging, a desire to make sure He stayed in His Father’s will, to push away distractions, and—to be honest—to push away what vied for His constant attention.
To help understand any frustration that may had been there, think of the following event. Jesus took His inner circle to the top of a mountain. Jesus transfigured. He spoke with Moses and Elijah (or Moses and Enoch, depending on who you ask). He comes down full of joy, faith, refreshing, etc. but what does He find? He finds His other disciples frantically trying to incorrectly cast out a demon. He responds out of frustration and disappointment to the whole lot of them by saying, “O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him to Me” (see Matthew 17:17). Was Jesus frustrated to minister? No. Was He fed up with people? Hardly because another incident when Jesus went off to pray with His disciples was interrupted with a crowd gathering (see Mark 3:17) and He ministered to them.
Matthew 26 records Jesus’ final moments with His disciples pre-crucifixion and went to pray in the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus prayed, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will” (see verse 39 and 42). This is very significant and I believe that His prayer meetings were perhaps the same. They may not had been concentrated upon the crucifixion but I believe that His time of prayer was not similar to our time of prayer. Often when we pray we surrender a list of names and things and ask God to move upon these requests. But Jesus prayed for healing and whatnot when He healed. I believe these prayer meetings (private ones) were times of personal introspection partly but mostly to debrief or to seek out His Father’s will. To Jesus and everything that Jesus did, His Father’s will was of paramount importance. He desired not to disobey it no matter how difficult.
We go through life and perhaps find ourselves frustrated. Sometimes we are upset or annoyed or dislike the spouse God provided. Sometimes we complain about the job we have. Sometimes we grow weary dealing with our children. Sometimes we get vexed that our ministry is not growing or flourishing like we would have liked to see. We find ourselves attacking others and not meaning to. We, at first seem grateful for the success and ease we find ourselves initially in but that eventually is pushed aside with almost disliking everything and everyone in our immediate circle. We may even get mad at God as if it was His fault we have too much work or too much ministry or too much whatever it may be. And then we chastise ourselves for having such carnal desires or reactions to situations.
But perhaps the problem isn’t those people or events. But perhaps the problem is with us. Not that we are sinful. But perhaps we have gotten so wrapped up in the busyness of life and frustrations that come our way that we have left God miles back on the side of the road. It isn’t that we are ungrateful for our spouse, work, children, ministry—although it may easily be inferred we are by our tone and words said—but I believe there are two reasons. First is that we try to do things based on our strength, capabilities, skills, knowledge, comfort, etc. and when everything we touch isn’t happening with the desired success we get mad and the first thing we do is find out why—and often either blame others or ourselves. The second reason is because we are no longer desiring to know God’s will. Although God may not tell us every day and give us an itinerary and He may not remind us every day about His plans and will for our lives (just look at the life of Abraham in Genesis), but it would be important to not only bring up our current day’s or our past day’s matters to God and ask if He was pleased with what we said, did, or thought and then not only asked God about Calling and all that—among the other things we pray for—but to ask Him to guide our steps in everything we do. It is sometimes those small steps that eventually have taken our feet to a great destiny—good or bad.
If we have found ourselves getting too wound up like a string about ready to snap, perhaps then more than ever we need to shut down and walk away from everyone and everything and go to a real quiet place/time and stay there until God says it is time to go down from the mountain. Where is it that you seek His will? Perhaps we ought not to put it off one day more.