After He had dismissed them,
He went up on a mountainside by himself to pray.
When evening came, He was there alone.
Matthew 14:23
Whether reading the old or new testament, it is written the numerous times that those seeking God's direction, restoration, and forgiveness went off for a period of solitude. In Matthew 14, Jesus once again retreats for time to pray and listen to Abba.
One of the hardest aspects of being in solitude is in the "listening" part of those moments with the Lord. My spirit reminds me of the passage when we are directed to:
Be still, and know that I am God;
Psalm 46:10
When my spirit is willing, my mind can be in overdrive. Calming my mind from all of my cares, dreams, or burdens takes self-denial and self-control to just sit and be. Solitude with the Lord has been a practiced behavior that I find will take a life-time to learn. I do begin with some form of praise and worship. I try to remain in a peace-filled "slow-down" of breathing and thinking. I look to the Holy Spirit to speak to me and for me. And I wait upon the Lord. Those moments when my mind begins to draw away from the quiet... well I tell myself to "hush," and then I recall the passage about being a noisy gong...
I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.
1 Corinthians 13:1
Today is His day... may moments of solitude with Him... bring us a nourishment and a refreshing-restoration within us. An overflow of His joy... strength... peace... and wisdom for these days which will be "unfolding" before us.
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