Something that struck me from yesterday’s sermon was how Jesus lived His life. My pastor said it this way (I’ve never it phrased like this before)… Jesus always retreated and then He returned. In fact, nine times in the Gospels it mentions that Jesus often went to a solitary place to pray. But He always returned to the people. One pastor said it like this… “The priority of Jesus’ solitude and silence is everywhere in the Gospels. It’s how he began His ministry. It’s how He made important decisions. It’s how he dealt with troubling emotions like grief. It’s how He dealt with the constant demands of his ministry and care for His soul. It’s how He prepared for His death on the cross.” Here’s the thing… if Jesus needed time with His Father, how much more do we need it.
Retreating and then returning is how we are to live as well. This is well-balanced Christianity. However, I feel like Christians are often good at one or the other but do not give both of these facets equal attention. Let’s talk about this for a minute. Some Christians do a lot of retreating but the returning is almost non-existent. And other Christians spend a lot of time working for the Kingdom but they lack time with the Lord. In fact, my pastor confessed yesterday that at one time the Lord convicted him of spending more time working than worshiping. Let me tell you from someone who is in full-time ministry… that’s easy to do. I always have a project I’m engaged in and each project takes A LOT of work.
I know that I need to walk in this well-balanced Christianity. You do too. Why is that? Because if I spend only time with the Lord, I’m not on mission with Jesus. And if I spend only time working for eternal things, my ministry will be ineffective and my witness will have no power. And I can easily face burnt-out. I believe that retreating should be a daily action of ours.
God’s voice is more in the gentle whisper than in the roar of the wind. And we need to hear His voice, what He’s saying, before we move forward. God speaks in all sorts of ways… through people, sermons, podcasts, circumstances. But the prominent way He speaks is through His Word. And trust me… if you open up the Word of God and lean in, He will speak to you. Listening to Him will prepare you, give you strength, guide you, and help you to navigate through difficulties. Listening to the voice of God also gives us wisdom and discernment… something we need more than ever in this day.
So, let me encourage you to get on mission with Jesus and live with a well-balanced Christianity. When you come to Jesus for a time of solitude, always have your Bible with you. Read it, meditate on it, and ask God to speak to you. And then return to the people… always leading them to truth. Each one of us have different gifts, different venues, and different platforms. But I know that we are called to serve Jesus by serving His people. So, if we want to be effective in the work, have greater power, and make a difference in peoples’ lives, then we must retreat first.
Let this encourage you today.