Often the hardest place to be is alone. Alone with Jesus… why is that?
In the midst of the busy of living on a lively Bible College Campus in Southern California it feels and seems as if there is no where to go where I can get alone. I used to run from being alone, for fear of my own thoughts or of internal pains from traumas in the past I had yet to deal with. Alone. It sounded so scary. Oh boy I have not arrived, I have not arrived at all, so do not read me wrong when I say that I now CRAVE being alone, because I know I’m alone with Jesus. The Secret place alone with Jesus is the most important place that anyone could every be and I actually would go as far as to say that it is crucial to daily life in the Spirit and bearing fruit. If I can’t be alone with Jesus then how can I learn to live like he did.
I’ll even hit you with some bible verses to encourage you that I am speaking truth. Jesus when interacting the disciples told them to go to the secret place. In Mark 6:33 Jesus says, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest awhile.” Jesus not only told his disciples to do this, but he also did this himself. This is seen in Mark 1:35 “And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.” If Jesus needed to get alone with the Father so do I, and so do you.
Recently I have been convicted to get up at 6am and get my alone time with Jesus in. I will do simple things such as read a chapter of the book of the Bible I am currently going through, I will read a supplemental daily devotion such as Tozer on the Holy Spirit by A.W. Tozer, and I will pray/praise. Alone time with the Lord doesn’t have to look like this, this is simply an idea based on what I do daily. Either way, I encourage you to run to the secret place, don’t run away. God wants to be with you. You cannot learn to know someone unless you learn to spend time with them.
In order to get alone it takes boundaries and balance. I’ve been learning to balance the time I spend with others and the time I spend alone with the Lord being filled with the Spirit because effective ministry happens through people who are intentional in their alone time with God. I’ve learned boundaries are also a crucial part to ministry because I have to be able to put on my oxygen mask first before helping others. My personality is a 2 on the enneagram if any of you are familiar, but if you aren’t, this type is called the Helper. Naturally, I desire to help others, but helping can be harmful if I am not first filled with the Holy Spirit.
I challenge you to get alone with God and allow him to fill you with the Holy Spirit each morning and see how it changes your life.
