But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.
Luke 5:16
Solitude is hard to come by most days.
You know as well as I do that the world runs at an extremely hectic pace, and it’s filled with lots of noise and distraction.
If you have ever worked in a school, had kids in school, or are friends with anyone who works in a school, chances are that you know that the month of May is likely everyone’s least favorite. With SOL testing, 4 straight weeks of class, and the end of the year where everyone is just tired of even being there, it’s a rough time to be in a school.
So this past May, I finally applied my brain. I scheduled a personal day for the end of the month so that I could get away from the madness once my major obligations were over. And it was one of the best choices I’ve ever made! I dropped my son off at the babysitter, had breakfast out with my husband, and then I packed a bag and found a place to be alone–truly alone. I took the time to sit with God. I worshiped, and prayed, and listened. And before stepping back into my roles of wife and mother, I got a beautiful iced coffee.
The results? I felt quiet inside. Still. Slowed down.
Why did it take me months and months to schedule this day and do this thing? Why did I feel guilty at first, like I was escaping life or shirking my responsibilities? The truth is that my workplace can function without me for a day. My family was just fine. I had an intentional date with my Maker and the world didn’t stop. And the icing on the cake is that I felt better after I did it, able to return to work the next day and face the last weeks of the school year and finish well.
We all yearn to finish well. But sometimes finishing well requires us to schedule a stop in the midst of the work. We have to intentionally pause and evaluate where we are to make sure we’re on the right track.
Some people dislike being alone. Suddenly when the noise is quieted, this space brings them face-to-face with uncomfortable issues they would rather not deal with. They are avoiding what God is actually calling them to face.
In His humanity, Jesus has plenty of times in His life when He could have avoided what God was calling Him to face. Instead, He took some time in solitude to prepare Himself for what lay ahead.
There were 6 major times in the Bible when Jesus chose to withdraw to solitude. In this week’s post, we’ll cover the first three.
1. Jesus withdrew to prepare for a major task (Matthew 4:1-11; Luke 4:1-2, 14-15)
These two passages document the temptation of Jesus by the devil. Prior to this, Jesus was baptized by John and those watching saw the Spirit descend like a dove and heard the voice of God affirm Jesus with these words: “This is my Son, whom I love, with Him I am well pleased.”
Jesus did not start Him ministry directly from there, but the Spirit led Him instead into the desert, where He fasted for 40 days and was tempted by Satan.
We need both highs and lows to keep us grounded in our walk as Christians. The Baptism of Jesus was definitely a high point and gave Him affirmation and marked Him as something special in the eyes of the people. But that wilderness season was also so important. Jesus fasted during that time, which would have given Him the focus to talk with the Father and be taught and prepared for what lay ahead. So also, the temptation by the Devil during His weakness of being hungry was necessary because Jesus overcame the weakness of His flesh and used the Word of Scripture to refute Satan. He was able to do as James 4:7 instructs us: “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” After Satan left Him, angels attended Him. After overcoming His flesh, standing His ground, and receiving supernatural aid from Heaven, Jesus was now ready. This desert season of solitude prepared Him to begin ministry.
2. Jesus withdrew to recharge after hard work. (Mark 6:30-32)
Prior to this, Jesus had given authority to the Twelve and sent them out to preach the good news, heal the sick, and drive out impure spirits. Mark 6 verse 30 picks up with them returning to Jesus:
The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, He said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place.
In His compassion, Jesus recognized that His disciples had worked themselves to the brink of exhaustion, where they had not eaten, and invited them to practice the one thing He himself knew was important: solitude. He invited them to come away to a quiet place and rest.
That same care and compassion is extended to us. As our Creator, God knows what we need. He designed those needs, and because He is the God of love and compassion, He intends to offer us a way to meet those needs daily.
The call to us likely sounds like this: “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matt. 11:28-30)
My bible footnote about this verse says, “In Jesus’ day, taking the yoke of another meant coming under that person’s leadership and walking in that person’s footsteps. When believers take Jesus’ yoke, they place themselves under His dominion. Only then do His followers enjoy the day-by-day release from stress that God intended.” (Jeremiah Study Bible, NIV)
Solitude with Jesus is not meant to be a burden. Instead, it is meant to lighten the burdens that we carry, and help us find rest after hard work. In solitude we submit to Jesus’s leadership and walk in His steps. We learn from Him and find new strength to stand and “keep on keepin’ on,” as someone I once knew said.
3. Jesus withdrew to work through grief. (Matthew 14:1-32)
Jesus grieved. He did not hide His emotions, as in the story of Lazarus which contains the well-known two word verse, “Jesus wept.”
Matthew 14 includes two scenarios where Jesus withdrew to a solitary place. The first happens after Herod the tetrarch orders John the Baptist’s death, his head delivered to Herodias on a platter.
Lest we forget, John the Baptist was the earthly cousin of Jesus, through His mother Mary and John’s mother Elizabeth. His death caused Jesus to become upset and seek some time alone to grieve.
Like many other times, the people followed Him on foot, so His time in solitude only lasted so long. But the miracle that followed was the feeding of the five thousand. So even a little bit of time in solitude allowed a big miracle to flow through Jesus.
I imagine Jesus was still grieving at that point, because He directed the disciples to get into the boat and cross to the other side while He dismissed the crowds. Then He went up on a mountainside by Himself to pray.
He spent most of the night there, being in fellowship and prayer with His Father. According to the time referenced in scripture, He would have likely tarried seven or eight hours, allowing His disciples to struggle on the water during that time before going to them.
Perhaps it’s a little sacrilegious, but I like to think that the time He spent with God, processing His grief and preparing to move forward from there, made Him feel lighter, and so He walked on the water to the boat. Yes, He was God in human form and therefore powerful, but clearly the time spent alone in prayer allowed Jesus to get His head back in the game, so to speak, and continue on healing and teaching the people who followed Him.
Next week we’ll continue with these thoughts on Solitude in the life of Jesus.
Blessings,
~Lynne
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