02292020 – 03012020 – Matthew 4. 1-11
I am VERY AWARE that BEFORE beginning his ministry and his leadership, Jesus spent some ALONE TIME in the WILDERNESS.
It wasn’t really “ALONE TIME,” because Jesus KNEW that God was WITH HIM every step of “the WAY.”
No matter WHERE he went or WHAT he did – God was THERE – PRESENT.
But it was an IMPORTANT time, nonetheless. NECESSARY time. It was NEEDED and CRUCIAL time BEFORE stepping onto “that GALILEAN STAGE.”
SO, apparently “ALONE TIME with GOD” was deemed as being A GOOD THING. “SOLITUDE” can be a VERY GOOD THING.
UNFORTUNATELY, there is “little chance” for solitude – TODAY.
Solitude is the ART of being able to sit at the feet of the Lord WITHOUT ANY KIND OF AGENDA. It is NOT prayer time. It is QUIET time.
A TIME to SHUT OUT the world and ALL of those MANY voices and to just LISTEN.
NO WORDS NEED to BE SPOKEN.
It is just being WITH him, just LISTENING for him to speak to YOU, just enjoying his presence without “a LIST of things” that needs “to be ASKED for or PRAYED for or COMPLETED.” No AGENDA.
It is a time when we SURRENDER OUR VERY BEINGS at his feet in SILENCE.
It is the time to LET him speak to US through that STILL SMALL VOICE.
It is the TIME when we can LOCKOUT all the EXTERNAL and INTERNAL DISTURBANCES that SEPARATE US from God.
But the problem is WHERE DO YOU GO, where DO YOU find this SOLITUDE.
In the midst of school, homework and extra-curricular activities, work, family life, child care, shopping, cleaning, food prep, playing TAXI CAB and the CONSTANT and CONTINUAL DEMANDS placed on us by OTHERS and by OURSELVES WHERE do we FIND solitude?
I tell you – this is ONE of the PROBLEMS of our DAY and TIME. WE HAVE TIME for “every THING and for every BODY” ELSE, EXCEPT FOR GOD.
We EDGE him out – we PUSH him to the PERIPHERY of our lives. GOD on the SIDELINES, as it were.
IS FIVE MINUTES of “Prayer Time” really “spending time with God,” or are we just going through our LAUNDRY LISTS of REQUESTS and WANTS and DESIRES? ARE WE REALLY listening FOR him or TO HIM?
I DO KNOW that before he CHOSE his 12 DISCIPLES from among his FOLLOWERS, he spent an ENTIRE NIGHT ALONE in the DESERT.
When he HEARD about the DEATH of John the BAPTIZER, he withdrew IN A BOAT to a LONELY PLACE ALONE.
After feeding 5000 MEN plus women and children, he went up INTO THE HILLS by HIMSELF.
And you KNOW of his need for ALONE TIME in the Garden of GETHSEMANE, just prior to his ARREST and final DETAINMENT.
Jesus KNEW he needed ALONE TIME with GOD, what about YOU?
Ahead of him were ALL NATURE of TESTING, ASSESSMENTS, PROBING, CHALLENGES, ENTICEMENTS, CAJOLING, ATTRACTING, ALLURING and WOOING.
Jesus was quite literally on the BATTLEGROUND at GROUND ZERO.
He KNEW he needed all the support he could MUSTER.
He would be ENTICED, PERSUADED, CONVINCED, COAXED and PULLED in all kinds of different directions simultaneously…
DESIRES, URGES, IMPULSES, INCLINATIONS, SEDUCTION it was ALL apart of it…and NOT just during the 40-day sojourn…but CONTINUOUSLY…throughout his ministry
FASCINATION, INTEREST, MAGNETISM, APPEALING IDEAS that CALLED and PULLED and attempted to DRAW him in…would not PREVAIL. WHY?
Although he knew and realized he would be VULNERABLE to a point…it was ONLY to a POINT.
He was NOT ALONE.
GOD was with HIM – he did not JOURNEY alone. And neither should WE!
HE WAS NOT DEFENSELESS, nor was he POWERLESS, he was far from HELPLESS, nor was he UNPROTECTED, at RISK, UNGUARDED or at the MERCY OF…because GOD WAS WITH HIM.
Jesus had spent some ALONE TIME in SOLITUDE with God.
He was FORTIFIED, STRENGTHENED, SECURE, ENERGIZED and INVIGORATED knowing that GOD was with him…
Spend Time with God, I tell you, it is an important time! Necessary time!
Amen.