Pastor's Corner: A place for lonely places

I don't need to tell you that we live in a pretty fast-paced culture. Whether it's getting from one place to another, receiving or sending information over the internet or simply trying to keep up with the latest news, it's fast!

Sometimes the pressure of trying to "keep up" in some way can really wear us down. The culture that Jesus was born and raised in was much different from the U.S. in many ways. It tended to be much more rural, transportation was either on foot or on an animal, and communication was either handwritten or face-to-face. But that doesn't mean it was easy!

Over the centuries, theologians have often summed up Philippians 2:6-8 this way: Jesus was fully God and fully man. Although we may understand that summary, I'd venture to say we often forget Jesus' humanity. He got hungry, sleepy, sore and sometimes just plain worn out.

So what did Jesus do to be refreshed and be ready for another day? We gain some insight from Luke 5:16: [BEGIN ITAL]"But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed."[END ITAL] Do you have a "lonely place" where you can spend time with the Lord in prayer? If not, let me encourage you to find such a place in your home, neighborhood or even your place of work, if possible. It may not be an every day opportunity, but making it a fairly regular occurrence can provide you with an extended time of prayer.

One of the places I've come to appreciate, besides my home, is the "Prayer Room" at our church. I often go there during my work week to just spend some time in prayer. The Lord has faithfully used that time to remind me of who He is and encourage me to trust Him no matter what I may be facing. I guess I'd say that if Jesus needed to do that on a human level, who am I/we to think that I/we don't also need to?

I don't think we're going to slow the world down where we live, but we can sure choose to slow ourselves down for period of time in a "lonely place" and meet with the Lord!