WOW! The pull is powerful! I never realized just how huge the magnetic pull of life is until I was alone with NOTHING but God!
After a weekend at the cabin, my quiet time this morning was sprinkled with the following station identification interruptions:
I wonder if Laura can help with the house today?
I need to get Kait up… why is she still sleeping?
Do I have emails? (picked up phone checked email).
Don’t forget to pay bills today…
And the list goes on!
We could liken my morning with the Lord to holding a conversation with someone at a busy restaurant only to be interrupted every two minutes by an over-eager waitress! The interruptions were my own, but they were going off like a bunch of Pop Rocks in my head!
I kept thinking at this rate we will never talk again! (I know a bit over dramatic, but it was a long weekend!)
One thing this past weekend put emphasis on was how valuable my time alone with the Father really is. So the chopped up quiet time at home just didn’t quite do it for me today!
Something I wanted to experience, while I was in the woods, was what Jesus felt when He was alone with the Father. I don’t think I experienced that. I think I was too busy getting reconnected to God, and getting disconnected from the world to really discover just what Jesus felt.
It’s a bummer… yet, it just means we [God and me] must meet again. The cabin was a unique thing to do, which I encourage you to try at least once in your life. However, it’s not practical to do weekly or even monthly. And personally, I’m not really keen on getting alone in the woods like that anytime soon. (I like my bathroom!) But, I’m definitely on board with pulling away and getting alone to be with the Father!
Maybe you are longing to have a place to disappear and be alone with the Father like Jesus did, but a cabin experience isn’t practical for you. Perhaps begin by just asking the Father:
Where could I go?
When can I do it?
How long can I stay?
You can even make personal requests! As I was asking those same questions this morning, I also asked Him for a place where the sun will be plentiful. I expressed how I didn’t want to be a bother to others, and that I’d like to be invisible just for the time we are together! (Well, not literally invisible… you get it though!) 😉
In Philippians it says to make our requests known to God! Requesting is the easy part. When He answers, being OBEDIENT is the hard part!
Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. James 4:8
Now Your Turn: Do you have a place away from your home where you can let your hair down and be released from the pull of life? If you do, please share what it looks like. If you don’t, ask! Then come back and share with us where He’s taken you! As always, I love to hear your thoughts, so Let’s Chat…
Thanks so much for these inspiring words Beth!!
Jane,
I hope it encourages you to push past your fear and just begin to ask Him! You don’t have to thrust yourself into complete isolation, it can start with just and afternoon drive out in the country somewhere and have a picnic lunch, alone, in the sun… ooohhh that sounds like something I think I need to try! 🙂
Be blessed!
Hi Beth,
I don’t have such a place yet but if I did it would either be a cabin in the woods overlooking a lake or a beach house overlooking the Ocean. There is something serene and peaceful about water to me.
Hi Justin,
That would a perfect place for me, too! I love water and fire… something about the two of them together is total tranquility, add a nice house in there and I’m in! 😉 Thanks for the post!