Renewal’s Path is One Worth Taking

Renewal is good for the soul. A walk in the serene beauty of nature has an internal renewal factor. Nature calms the soul-side of your sensitivities while you breathe in the invigorating fresh air of the unspoilt outdoors.

In a similar way spiritual renewal comes when we get away from it all to be alone with God. Jesus is our example. Jesus would go to the ‘devastated’ places to pray. Those alone times in the wild lonely places ministered to Him.

Jesus and His Times Alone

I am always curious about the reasons and whys in scripture. I’ve wondered about Jesus and those deserted places that scripture talks about. So I decided to read several of these passages in different translations to try to picture it. I also wondered why Jesus, the Son of God, would seek such a refuge.

• After Jesus learns of John’s beheading, He withdraws by boat to go a solitary place. I assume He is sorrowing. The crowds are soon to follow. He has compassion on them and heals the sick. He ministers to them.
• Later Jesus separates from the disciples to go off alone to pray. He is alone when evening comes. In the fourth watch He walks on the water to rejoin the disciples in a boat on the lake.
• Another example: Mark 1:35 “and rising very early in the morning while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.”
• And: Luke 5:16 “Jesus withdrew to the lonely places and prayed.”

Jesus went to the solitary places when there was a need for Him to be alone. This must have strengthened Him. The pattern is cyclical: Jesus ministers; goes out alone, prays, and receives what He needs; then He ministers again.

Lonely places are described as desolate, deserted, wilderness; as a solitary place (NKJV), secluded place, lonely place, as a “desert place and was there praying” (Young), as a “secluded spot” (MSG), and as a “desolate place and there He prayed.” (ESV)

Jesus got whatever it was that He needed when He separated himself away from His disciples and the crowds. In the desolate places He spent time alone to pray and commune with His Father. We know this much for sure: Jesus was alone, and Jesus prayed while He was alone.

Take Time for Spiritual Renewal

It is no wonder that we benefit from time alone with God. We run low on energy. We deplete our natural strength though God sustains us. We set an anchor to secure our faith when we center our soul in the holy Trio. Then we revisit it again and again. In time we become stronger to where our faith withstands the storms of life.

But. But we still need to pay attention to how we are doing. Sometimes we need to sit a spell to receive greater spiritual rest and quiet interceding of the Spirit of God. It is not wrong to need time in the deserted places. These are times of receiving spiritual food.

Purposeful, intentional, scheduled, set-aside times for the purpose of being refreshed are worth any time or effort it takes to make it happen. There are demands on us that become internal with external ramifications that are weights that beset us. Their burden may be physical, emotional, financial, relational, spiritual, you name it, that thing that doesn’t go away and you worry at it.

I believe God is pleased when we purpose to get alone with Him, when we purpose to surrender our ‘whatevers’ to Him, when we look for Him in the silences. Anyone can set aside busyness and technology for a reprieve from the craziness of the daily. You will be glad when you do. It takes some measure of discipline, effort, and determination to see it through.

Personal Retreat: A few years ago I spent a weekend at Abbey of New Clairvaux (Vina Monastery) for a spiritual retreat. Cell phone use is off-limits. Electronics are off limits. The monastery bell is the time piece. Some retreatants are on a silent retreat (no talking). Meals are served in an old ranch house where those on a silent retreat eat in a separate area. A library is open to the guests. It was a sweet, quiet, peaceful visit. I roamed the grounds, sat through a few of the services, visited with guests, met with a spiritual director, and spent time alone with God.

At Home: Another time I spent three days fasting, meditating, and praying while conducting a spiritual examen and reading; marking and noting the actions in the book of Acts. I did this in a room in the house because of my single parent responsibilities. Two of my children were still at home, but they weren’t young. It worked because I made it work. The time was blessed, enriched by God’s wisdom, insights, and grace.

Renewal bursts forth in spontaneous surprises of delight.

How About You? Your Turn

You might want to take some time for spiritual renewal to get away from the distractions of daily living and to spiritually reboot.

A couple posts you might enjoy that relate to this subject:

1. How Alone Time with God Affects Your Mouth
2. A Place Called Sacred
3. Sacred Space: Silence with God