“And he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed” (Luke 22:41)
It is interesting to see how Jesus often times would get away from all the chaos and crowds that often followed him to pray and rest. Meditating on this has made me more aware of the replenishment my soul needs on a weekly basis. God commands us to rest and to refresh, so that we come to realize we are not Him and so our soul finds energy and is revived. I also have come to realize that everyone is replenished differently, for instance my wife loves to be around people so for her a time of refreshment may be social interaction with people over the age of 2 years old. I am almost the exact opposite of that, I find that time with lots of people drains me and does not at all refresh me. Instead I love to find quiet times in my car, driving and thinking about God’s Word by myself, it is those times where I am alone and quiet that I find my soul is refreshed. This is not something that just can occur spontaneously or once a month but something I must be seeking and planning, on a weekly basis. For instance I am more purposeful to use my Wednesday afternoons for this, to pray and think on God’s word and the direction for the ministry and life he has me in. A battle that I have to face in this is to trust the Lord that those “to do’s” will be there and that I do need to trust that God will bless this time of prayer and meditation.
What is your way that you refresh your soul? How often do you do this?
Los,
ReplyDeleteI'm probably closer to your wife's personality, in that being around friends helps to refresh and rejuvenate me-- BUT I do cherish my time alone as well. I am really somewhere in the middle between being an extrovert and an introvert.
I enjoy solitude and silence to a point. I even need them to a point. Some people always want "sound" around them. I am not one of those people. Some of my best times with God have come in times of silence.
Again, this is to a point. I greatly enjoy the energy, motion, and sounds of a big city. In many ways, I absolutely loved D.C. After a while though, I would find that I had the desire to be alone to read, think, and ponder. I guess one could say that my desires to be with people and to be alone go in cycles. I don't want "too much" of either-- although who defines what "too much" is? It's an interesting question.