As I looked to my left, I could see a family of geese waddling their way to the edge of the water and sliding in the crisp lake with ease. I looked to the right and saw two turtles sunbathing on a rock. I closed my eyes, and I could hear a multitude of different birds singing their unique songs. As I took a deep breath in, I could smell the fragrance of flowers and plants in full bloom. I could feel the warmth of the sun embracing me like a hug around my arms, a direct contrast to the cool water on my feet… I was all alone, yet all of the Lord’s creation around me was welcoming, comforting, filling me with such joy.
However, while I was alone in God’s creation and presence, I was reminded of how often Jesus went off all alone to spend time with His Father. Jesus had an intimate relationship with Him, the kind of relationship I want with my Heavenly Father.
“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went to a solitary place, where he prayed.” Mark 1:35
“One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God.” Luke 6:12
“Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and He said to His disciples, ‘Sit here while I go over there and pray.’” Matthew 26:36
Jesus had a demanding ministry, and He recognized the importance of withdrawing to renew His heart, fill His soul, and talk to His Father. Solitude for Jesus did not look like lying in bed scrolling through social media or numbing out to a Netflix series on the couch. His “alone time” was spent being with the Lord. His solitude most often happened in nature.
I will be the first to say that I would rather out-busy, out-work, and out-hurry being alone. Because when I’m alone, I’m forced to feel all of the feelings, good and bad, that I try so hard to outrun by being around others. When I’m alone, I’m forced to face the reality that my heart is aching for something just out of reach—direct fellowship in Heaven with my Father.
Being alone wasn’t always easy for Jesus, either.
“At once the Spirit sent Him out into the wilderness and He was in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and the angels attended Him.” Mark 1:12-13
When we are alone, the enemy sees an easy target, similarly to when a coyote sees a lone goat (we live in the country, the analogies don’t get much more sophisticated y’all). When a goat goes away from the rest of the group, it is much easier for the coyote to attack. But the good news is, we have someone to protect us, like a guard dog for those goats, that is going to fight off that coyote. We have the Holy Spirit. Just like God sent the angels to attend to Jesus in the wilderness, when we go to be alone with Him, we have the Holy Spirit attending to us to help us fight off that coyote. That doesn’t make being alone an easy feat, but no intimate relationship is. The hard feelings will be there, but so will the joy. The pain will be there, but so will the healing.
Solitude, or being alone, is not loneliness. That is a completely different feeling and circumstance. The Lord also cares about and is there for you in the midst of your solitude. But being alone in the presence of God, taking in His beautiful creation, is the place where I feel the least lonely. Sitting alone in silence in the middle of the lake surrounded by nature made me feel all the feelings, but I left with peace. I left thankful for the reminder that God is nearer than I thought. I left full of joy, knowing that God is fighting my battles for me. I left closer to my Father.
Kristie Brothers
Lean into Jesus Ministries
#kristiebrothersblogs