Jesus Proclaims the Message and Heals the Sick. Early the next morning, long before dawn, he arose and went off to a secluded place, where he prayed. ––Mark 1:35
Advancement is the key direction in God’s kingdom. Moving forward. Conquering new ground for the gospel. I believe that’s why all the armor of God mentioned in Ephesians 6 prepares us for a frontal assault on the enemy—a shield, a sword, a breastplate, etc. Nowhere in the New Testament do we see God commanding His children to turn and flee. Retreat? Yes. Flee? No.
But, fleeing is much different than retreating. Jesus constantly retreated—not from His responsibilities, but from the crowds and voices around Him. He did so in order to spend time with the Father—the “all man” part of our “all God” Savior needed to refill Himself spiritually, emotionally, mentally, and physically. As God’s men, we get that. Here’s a great example of Jesus retreating in order to ready Himself for His next assignment from His Father:
Now he had to go through Samaria. So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon. ––John 4:4-6
This is the famous scene where Jesus lovingly confronts the woman at the well about her sinful past, and offers her “water welling up to eternal life.” What’s often overlooked here, however, is the fact that “Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well.” Can you relate? Samaria is hot, and Jesus arrives at noon—the sun at its zenith. He needs to rest and replenish himself.
More importantly—beyond Jesus’ need for physical rest—was His need for solitude and silence to hear from His Father. This is the definition of retreating. He often retreated to a quiet place in order to escape the noise and static of the world. We retreat for the same reason Jesus did: to refresh, restore, and renew our spiritual tanks when they near empty.
As I often say, start small if you are not used to sitting in silence with God. Try one minute to start (use your phone’s timer if that helps), and build up from there. U2 has a great line in its song “Every Breaking Wave” where Bono sings, “I thought I heard the captain’s voice, but it’s hard to listen while you preach.”
In other words, there’s a time to talk, but we also need to stop talking at times to allow our brain to downshift so we can actually hear what God wants to say to us.
Sound strange? According to the world, it’s very strange. But you know He’s real, even if you’ve never heard His small, still voice. He speaks to you through the miracle of your children, a smile from your wife, the brisk feeling of the ocean, the sound of a mountain brook tumbling over rocks.
The Father longs to speak to you, and the quieter your brain, the easier it is for Him to speak. Maybe that place of solitude is a forest stream or a quiet stretch of ocean beach. Maybe it’s a quiet nook in your house or apartment. Wherever it is, press into retreat.
Father, help me find the ways and means to retreat and get quiet so You can speak to me.
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4 “Every Breaking Wave” by U2, Island Records, 2014. Produced by Danger Mouse and Ryan
Tedder, with additional production from Declan Gaffney.
