There are some verses that talk about Jesus modeling this to his disciples.In Mark 1:35-38 we read the story. One morning some of them awoke to find Jesus gone. They panicked, as their reliance on Jesus had become obsessive, and they had not yet received the strength of God’s spirit. They found Jesus a little way off, praying and spending alone time with His father. Peter shows his short temper by saying “ dude why did you disappear, everybody is looking for you to do your thing to them!” Not exactly the greek interpretation here, but you can see the point. Peter was miffed at Jesus for leaving them in the middle of a successful ministry time. People were following them, and they may have felt a sense of empowerment that the fishing industry never brought them. With Jesus gone, they felt threatened, and maybe even a little vulnerable. Jesus responds with the challenge to leave the fertile ministry moment in order to go to other towns that had not yet experienced Emmanuel, God with us. Jesus’ alone time had resulted in an eagle eye perspective for the disciples. It would be great to stay right there, doing miracles and having the people worship them. Jesus saw the bigger picture, and He longs to give us the same vision if we will take the time to spend with Him.
Luke 5:15-16- Jesus had just healed a leper, and told him to go to the priest to give glory to God for his healing. The leper told the crowds what had happened, and they flocked to Jesus for their own personal miracle. The scriptures tell us that at this point Jesus withdrew to a lonely place to pray. What? hundreds of needy people and Jesus slips away? Isn’t Jesus supposed to enter the crowds and hand out miracles like lollypops?
Jesus always took time off to spend time with His father. This was not just a nice thing to do, it was absolutely necessary for Jesus. Remember that He is part of the trinity, Residing in a human body, confined by time and space, but God all the same. Entering the the dusty body of a human had to be a challenge. We forget that Jesus stepped out of the eternity dimension into our time centered, sinful, diseased, frightened, dying world. His time connecting with the Father and the Spirit brought strength, power, perspective, and purpose. Jesus never lost his focus, never forgot his purpose, and never got caught up in our selfish neediness while He walked on this earth. Staying connected was the reason why He could do the miracles, share the truth that sets us free, and bring eternal hope to so many. If the son of man made time for connection with God, maybe we should start making time as well….
Alone time Helps with big decisions. In Luke 6:12-13, Jesus steps away for an evening, then returns to choose the for 12 teammates He would use to change the world. Jesus was again modeling the power of focused, God centered meditation time.
Three things are needed for this time to be successful. We need focused quiet time alone, open ears and hearts, and a copy of God’s word we can study and learn from. It is dangerous to enter a meditative state with no input to ‘chew on’, no truth to meditate on. If you empty your mind, I guarantee something will enter that space. If you enter with a key spiritual truth to focus on, the results will be life changing. Collect verses that are meaningful to you. During my recovery year, I gravitated towards verses that told the truth about God, His love and commitment to me, and the truth about my situation with God on my side. Psalms 143:8 says “ Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul”. I first pray this verse to God, in order to connect with the author, and awaken my soul.
You can pray any way you want, but use the verse in the prayer. It may look something like this- Oh Lord I thank you for your unfailing love which comes to me every morning. I have put my trust in you, and I know you will show me the way to go. I lift my soul up to because you are my safe place. Praise you for your unfailing love!
I have my verses on my iPad, so I might type a short response after this verse, something like- Thanks God for your unfailing love. I know you will show me your way today, and I thank you for your love and leading in my life.
The key here is to leave time to respond to God while reading His word. Unlike my daily devotions, which I do while getting ready for the day, this time is more reflective, quieted, and focused. Keep a journal near so you can write down any eagle eye perspectives you get during this time. Try to step away from your struggles, stresses, and personal issues. Step out of the rushing river of activity, and take an eagle eye view of your live in the hands of the God who sees you and loves what He sees. Another way of saying this is that you step back to get the big (eternal is big!) picture, as when an eagle flyers high to scan its domain. Decide on one truth you read that you want to meditate on. Think about that truth, how it relates to your life, how it impacts your spirit, how it gives you an eagle eye view on your journey. Listen, really listen to the words that come to your mind. They may just be coming from the source of all truth.
This experience is difficult to achieve every day. You should set a goal to get the eagle eye view at least once a week, and take as much time as needed for you personally. Find a time and place to get away. Have your family help here, taking care of children so you can leave the house, or giving you you space somewhere in the house. Your pursuit of God will inspire others to attempt the same connection time with God. Your eagle eye perspective will change your view of your life, and allow you to engage God in places you never would have seen before. This is the face to face relationship God always intended for His children. Some people look for “ME” time. I challenge you to pursue “US” time, time with you and God. You’ll never want to experience anything less again!
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