June 3: Insight Post by Rusty Coram
Wednesday Insight Post
by Rusty Coram
Recently, I was driving with my son in an area that was constructing new roadways, and the hillsides that were cut into were terraced. It reminded me of growing up in West Virginia and watching I-64 being developed near where I lived. As a kid, I spent countless hours hiking alone in the mountains along the ridges, overlooking construction in desolate areas. I sought time alone because I am naturally an introvert and was most comfortable away from others. That kind of “solitude” is not what we are focusing on this month. What we are looking at is a deliberate habit of disconnecting from people, technology, and other inputs so that we can focus on and listen to God. I am in a season of life that severely limits my freedom for time alone, similar to what we read about Jesus in Mark this week, where Jesus was constantly being pursued by others. “35 Before daybreak the next morning, Jesus got up and went out to an isolated place to pray. 36 Later Simon and the others went out to find him. 37 When they found him, they said, “Everyone is looking for you.” Mark 1:35-37 (NLT) Another time, we read that things were so busy that Jesus told His disciples, “31 Let’s go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile.” He said this because there were so many people coming and going that Jesus and his apostles didn’t even have time to eat.” Mark 6:31 (NLT)
Jesus understands the pressures of life and the different seasons we are in. He has compassion for the mom with young ones at home, the entrepreneur starting a business, and the caregiver with little freedom. At the same time, we need to pursue time alone with God to recharge our spiritual batteries. Two ways that help me are (1) getting up in the morning earlier than others and having some alone time with God, like Jesus modeled for us, and (2) driving alone without music, news, or podcasts. Even if it is only 10 minutes of time focused on prayer and listening to God, it is more than worth it. We don’t know how much time Jesus took to be in solitude, just that He made it a personal priority, and it was worth it.
Rusty Coram
Senior Pastor
New Hope Church
Lorton, Virginia
www.newhope.org