“Yet the news about him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” ( Luke 5:15-16)
Throughout scripture we see many instances where Jesus drew away. He drew away to pray, to impart wisdom to his disciples, to prepare for the road ahead, to meet with the father. Jesus rested, Jesus wept, Jesus – anguished and wrestled with the challenges to come.
I know that in my busy world, drawing away is not something that I do regularly enough. The minutes turn into hours, turning into days and weeks and before I know it the chaos and craziness of a full life takes over. The complexity of LIFE causes us to have limited SPACE. Limited SPACE stifles our ability to hear God and be moved by His words and instruction.
I love my full life, but God designed me for a life with SPACE and margin – and it was for good reason.
The bible says “draw near to me and I will draw near to you”.… The wonderful thing about Jesus is that He knows everything about you – He knows you incredibly well, better than anyone does. He knows your greatest strengths, amazing qualities, and also your fears, insecurities and flaws. His desire though, is for you to know Him just as well as he knows you….
“Here’s what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won’t be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace.” (Matthew 6:6 MSG)
Girls, in a few weeks we will gather together to worship, to learn, be inspired, laugh, cry …. I’d like to remind you to see this as an opportunity to find S P A C E. The kids will be fine, work will still be there when you get back, the dirty laundry can wait….. Draw away from the crazy and chaos of the day-to-day and take advantage of the…
– Space to be grateful
– Space to seek God
– Space to pray
– Space to be still
– Space to let it all out
– Space to see new opportunities ahead
– Space for a spot of shopping
“God, I desire to know You more and more, my prayer is that I can understand fully Your heart toward me and Your plans for me. I pray that in these three days that I am setting aside, I will take this time and use it effectively. Prepare my heart to be open and receptive to your voice. As I draw away from my day to day and draw close to You I thank you that Your promise is that You will be right there drawing close to me… Amen”
Love,
Marleis Scharfe