He is There, Can You Hear Him?

Mark 13:26  “And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.”

When we come to a place where we don’t understand what is happening…when everything seems to be caving in, there is Jesus. We always have the forgiveness of the cross, the victory of the empty tomb, and the hope of Christ’s imminent return.

When we go to the doctor and he tells us we have a malignancy or when we hear that we are infertile as a couple and cannot bear a child, He is there. When we have to declare bankruptcy or we are laid off work, He is there. When we read a note that our spouse has left or a loved one dies because of a terrorist act, He is there. We have a Savior…and we have a choice to believe or not to believe.

We can begin to murmur, criticize, grumble, and despair or we can yield to the Savior and hear Him say, “My child, no matter what is happening, this is how much I love you. Look to the cross. Look to the empty tomb. Look for Me. I’m coming again.”

Maybe we have created such noise in our world that we cannot hear Him because of the chaos in which we live. We might need to turn down the volume of our crazy, busy lives. Maybe we need to reevaluate the activities to which we devote our time and/or the people in which we spend that time. Are we spending time with people that make God a priority in their life? Are we communing with other believers who remind us to lift our eyes off our problems and to the one source of true comfort? Are we sharing the new of Jesus with those that do not know Him at all? Are we stepping into a place of personal solitude for one on one time with Jesus?

This reflects my own inclinations and personality, but I think it also points to two profound requirements for the Christian life—to engage with friends and families as well as with those whose lives are devoid of faith or who are struggling in the shadow of doubt; to gather together in Christ's name, to meet with others for worship and communion, but also to allow for time and space for personal solitude and silence when we can read, ponder, listen, heal, and allow the Creator and the Creation to speak to us and renew us in quietness.

I remember realizing once that loneliness is not a choice, but solitude is. When I need an injection of new energy, I've made it a practice to retreat, to plan a solo time with myself and God.  In that environment, separated from human society, I can follow the injunction “Be still and know that I am God.” I nearly always find, in that stillness a rejuvenation, a divine reconnection that prepares me for re-entry and re-engagement with God's children anywhere, once again fully alive and ready for action!

This is easier to do than it sounds. Options are out there; check into a retreat house or camp in the wilderness, go sit alone in your car, close the door to your room and mean it, or take a “sabbatical weekend” at home. Clear the daily, usual distractions, and then open your heart to Him.

Get in a position of humility. If you can, drop to your knees. If you cannot, bow your head and close your eyes. Imagine the cross of Christ. Meditate upon the shame Christ experienced, the pain He endured, and the victory He secured in His death. Imagine the love and absolute dedication to you of the One doing these things. He will not forsake and leave you now; He is there.

The Sounds of Silence

Mark 1:35 Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. 

The info below caught my attention:

Fifty-three hours . . . by anyone’s standards, that’s a long, hard workweek. So are you sitting down? Fifty-three hours is the amount of time each week that the average American spends on some form of electronic entertainment.

Think about it: TV. Video games. Music. Movies online. All kinds of social media. Many young people carry smart phones in their pockets. They stay constantly connected to entertainment and to each other.

Connection is good, but our lives also need quiet space: periods when we unplug machines and plug ourselves into solitude. In order to learn from the wisdom around us, we all need times of silence . . . in the high calling of our daily work.

Most of you have heard me refer to my ‘cocoon’ time when I disconnect from the noise of the world. For me, this disconnect time is vital to my inner balance and, yes, on some days, my sanity. I acknowledge this need for ‘down time, quiet, silence, space’…call it what you like, I require this, and I protect it. It is one of my ‘non-negotiables’ in how I spend my time. Let’s face it, if we do not structure our own time and energy, others and situations will line up to dictate it to us and drain us of every ounce.

Jesus knew the demands on His time and energy were relentless and stepped away from the crowds to have time alone with His Father. Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. He sought solitude to renew, restore and refresh alone in prayer.

Some people have a lot of trouble being alone. Some really cannot stand a period of silence and must have something, anything making noise in the background if nothing else. For these folks, the sounds of silence scream loudly. For others it is almost painful not to be in constant contact with friends and family. I love my family and friends, too, but I do not feel the need to talk to each of them several times a day…every day. Doesn’t mean I love them less. We all know at least one someone that has to talk all the time to fill the void they find in solitude and/or silence. Thus the market for ‘TV. Video games. Music. Movies online. All kinds of social media. Many young people carry smart phones in their pockets. They stay constantly connected to entertainment and to each other.’

I know I’m not the most objective person on this subject because I need and enjoy my time of silence and solitude but I have to wonder what it is people are missing in their lives when they seem compelled to fill every moment and action with voices, sound effects and mental distractions.

We start off by thinking our babies won’t grow up to the brightest in pre-school if we do not ‘stimulate’ their little brains with flashing lights and bright colors. We have programmed several generations of people to think they have to be entertained all the time, so we manufacture expensive gadgets to entertain them. These gadgets are almost obsolete by the time we buy them and the latest and greatest is in the sidelines just waiting for people to line up in front of stores to be the first of their peers to own it. Now we can take the world everywhere we go and never have one moment of disconnect unless we lose a signal, at which point we go momentarily insane until we are connected again.

When was the last time you heard someone saying they couldn’t stand it because it had been thirty minutes since they could ‘connect’ with God? Where were you when people lined up and camped out to praise Jesus? How long has it been since you unplugged and turned off everything electronic just to have some peaceful alone time listening for the Holy Spirit? Are we drowning out the soft, still voice of God by all the noise?

Alone at Last!

“I live in that solitude which is painful in youth, but delicious in the years of maturity.” ~Albert Einstein

I just read an article on how to have more solitude in your life and the benefits it brings. I’ve long been aware of my need for solitude so I find it rather amusing that there are so many articles telling you how to find it, work toward it, etc. I can recall as a girl I knew I had to have time away from the chaos of three younger brothers. As a young mom with little ones I craved alone quiet time that had become so rare and precious. When my kids were older I established my “closed shop” rule: After 9pm I closed the door to my bedroom and no one better knock unless there was blood, death or fire. It was my only ‘me time’ and as a single working mom with many teens (at one time 5 teens and two 11 yr olds…mine & others) living in my home, closing shop was the only way to have any solitude at all. To this day my kids do not call me after 9pm. That’s a good thing.

It was during the time of my first ‘empty nest’ that I rededicated my life to the Lord. I was struggling with having all the kids out of my home but God used the opportunity to get my undivided attention. I have been very thankful ever since. With no one else needing my attention and time I was free to focus only on seeking Him when I came home from work every evening. I was like a giant sponge, thirsty and dry, and the living water of Jesus was the only thing that satisfied that thirst. It was an intense time of my life; intense in a complex and wonderful way. Finding solitude in Christ may sound contradictory but when you consider that He is in you and you are one with Him…it is solitude at its utmost!

Today, I can say I have adjusted to living with another adult after the big shock of it all when my Honey and I first married. He, too, needs time alone at home to just ‘be’. It is a comfortable fit for us and I believe plays a large role in our compatibility. We need ‘our time’ but honor each other’s alone time.

As a writer I most definitely need time alone! Referring back to that ADD possibility, I get distracted easily and nothing is more frustrating that to be writing along and have something or someone pull my mind out of the writing mode. It is like a short circuit in the creative flow of words and thought processes. My beloved dogs are a major source of distraction and frustration. Though they live indoors I have to send them outside most writing days. Just the playing, romping and begging to get in my lap can ruin an entire writing session. I can’t write when my Honey is home either. My ‘office’ is smack in the middle of our home out in the open. Anything he might do short of sequestering himself in his studio for the duration is disruptive. He’s tried simply sitting on the couch quietly, not talking or anything but I can see him, feel him and want to strangle him for inhibiting the writing process…….love him bunches but need him gone so I can write. He talks of the day he can retire but I have no idea where he will live when that time comes, certainly not with me…all writing would ground to a screeching halt and that will never do!

If this sounds selfish to you consider the fact that I am in good company in requiring solitude. Jesus was surrounded by the masses, walked many a mile with the entourage of disciples and their ‘posse’ (groupies, families) and He sought out solitude, too. The spirit needs a regular dose of solitude to renew, regroup and re-energize.

John 6:15
Then Jesus, knowing that they meant to come and seize Him that they might make Him king, withdrew again to the hillside by Himself alone.

So, Friends, toss the cell phone in a drawer, take a walk by yourself, turn off the TV and radio or send the family to a movie…just do something to make slices of time for solitude. No noise to distract, no voices to respond to, just you and Jesus quietly sitting together. It is not something to fear or dread, it is ”…delicious…” to quote Albert Einstein!