Peace and Quiet

“But now even more the report about Him went abroad, and great crowds gathered to hear Him and to be healed of their infirmities. But He would withdraw to desolate places and pray.”

~Luke 5:15-16

I am not good in crowds. I don’t like cities either. The noise, the stench, bumper-to-bumper traffic, people pushing and shoving—to me, it’s maddening and has a negative physical effect on my body and mind. I get short of breath and I feel faint, in short, I have panic attacks. I need solitude and silence, which works well because my husband has a job that keeps him away all week and I am home alone Sunday through Friday. I like peace and quiet. I can get my chores done, tend to my little garden, mow the lawn, all the things I must do because someone has to, but I also have plenty of time to spend alone with the Lord. I like having the time to read the Bible without interruption, to write devotionals, and spend time in prayer and worship. Any intimate relationship requires time spent without interruptions, chaos and noise. That is especially true of our relationship with Christ.

“And He went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people. So, His fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought Him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, those having seizures, and paralytics, and He healed them. And great crowds followed Him from Galilee and the Decapolis, and from Jerusalem and Judea, and from beyond the Jordan (Matthew 4:23-25).”

Everywhere Jesus went, He was called to help others, and everywhere He went, “great crowds followed Him.” Jesus was a busy man, but He always found time to be alone with the Father and pray. Jesus understood that His ministry was important but spending time with God was how He was strengthened to continue His ministry. Even though Jesus was God, He was also confined to a human body that needed rest and food, and He had a human mind that needed peace to clear the cobwebs and be able to think, and He had a human heart that needed comfort by being near our Heavenly Father. If Jesus needed those things, how much more do we?

“Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light (Matthew 11:28-30).”

Sometimes we feel as if we must be “on” all the time, and if we’re not, we are failing. We all fulfill many roles in life, and as we grow older those roles change from time to time, but they are no less demanding. We go from children to adults to parents to grandparents, and we have so many outside forces dictating our lives—jobs, spouses, friends, obligations, church, ministry and the list goes on. Our lives can get very full and hectic, sometimes to the point of breaking. I’ve been there. I’ve reached the point to where I felt like I couldn’t go on, couldn’t give one more part of who I was to anyone, couldn’t muster the strength to get out of bed, answer the phone, or feed the dog. It’s life burnout and it can be debilitating. That’s why it’s so important to spend time alone like Jesus did, away from the cities, people, and those who need something from us. We need time alone with our Savior to pray, worship, and rest in Him.

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I will say rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you (Philippians 4:4-9).”

Read Isaiah 56-60

Weekend reading Isaiah 61-66

©2018 Marie McGaha