TIME ALONE WITH GOD
Mark 6
“Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”
They just had a successful mission trip; people were excited and they were sharing with each other about their experiences. Then Jesus told them that they will go to somewhere remote and quiet to get some rest.
We are easily caught up in the emotion of the moment and often we want to use that emotion to propel us onwards to greater heights and achievements. For Jesus, God’s work is not fed by emotion but by clarity of mind and heart and it is often helpful when our environment is quiet and uncluttered.
Spending time alone with God is intended to help us get ourselves into that zone where our vision of God is clear, and we have time and space to sort out our emotions, our experiences, our desires, our priorities, our fears and our hopes. In sharing these matters with God we bring him into our life and experience. At the same time as we read and meditate on his word we allow him the space to share with us his concerns, and to teach us what he wishes for us to learn and understand.
It is when there is this clarity of heart and mind that we can respond to the needs and challenges around us positively, with love and compassion, and with faith. We can see in the storm and in the gloom of night and recognise that indeed Jesus is with us.
“Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”