Be Still, My Soul.
Memorial Day weekend marks the start of a changing season. It marks the beginning of summer. The mark of one season transitioning into another. Seasonal change. Cold to warm. Spring to summer. Dead to life blooming.
This season can easily point us to the changes of seasons in our life. Especially the spiritual seasons of life. It reminds me of the importance of pauses in these types of transitions. What is working in our lives? What isn’t working? What could be improved or be better?
Jesus also took time for such space and margin in His life. If He needed such space, how could we think it is any different for us? I want to take a moment to introduce to you the idea of retreating. We need to recognize the importance of such pauses. The psalmist reminds us of this. He acknowledges, "Be still and know I am God."
Did you know that the phrase "Be still" actually means to pause. It means to pause, sit, stop. It is all about pondering who God is and who we are in relation to Him. It is stopping for a moment and considering the God who is with us and for us. It is recognizing our smallness in the presence of His greatness. Sometimes we need these moments of retreat to be still and know He is God and know who we are in relation to Him. Sometimes we need these pauses in order to better refine vision or a particular decision in our lives.
These kinds of pauses can happen in many different ways. Maybe it is through morning prayer. Maybe it is through evening walks. But sometimes it is necessary to literally move yourself away from the chaos of life to just stop and be still. There are different names for these depending on what kind of season you are in. One of these retreats that I frequently implement in my rhythm of life is named a prayer retreat.
Prayer Retreat
Jesus took time to plug into God. How much more do we need it? We believe if we take time for ourselves we're taking time away from those who need us. You need a healthy you. Jesus still took time to unplug from the crowds and pray. Several times throughout the gospels, we see Jesus retreating to a mountainside to pray. Jesus reveals the importance of connecting to fellowship with His Father.
For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it. (John 5:21)
"Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ." (John 17:3)
I have made you known to them and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them (John 17:26)
Jesus prays that we would experience life in God and come to know Him so intimately. We can have life in the presence of Jesus. We need to plug into Jesus. Nothing else. What does it mean to unplug and recharge?
I didn't know much at this point. I just knew how much I really needed a retreat. I needed renewal in my life, and it needed to begin with time away with Jesus. To unplug and recharge with the only source of life I need. I had a small plan, but a fairly flexible plan. I didn't want it to be too rigid. I think this is the best way to make a retreat successful.
My vision for this year was all about seeking new intimacy with the Lord. I desired to fall madly in love with Jesus. Finding joy and contentment in the sweet presence of Jesus. I desired to be a person exuding confidence who values myself seeking God in all my moments. I just wanted to be refreshed.
So, I took time away. I set up a quiet space in my attic and unplugged for the next 48 hours. I came with things to talk to Him about. But I also just sat and listened to Him. I learned to see how the Lord thinks about me. I learned more about God's love. In the quietness of my heart, I could hear the Lord speak.
What about you? Do you need to unplug and reconnect with Jesus? As a beginner, you can read through John 17 to see how Jesus chose to spend His time with the Lord. He stopped and He sat with His Father. He had things to talk to the Lord about and things to ask Him. But He also spent time just being still. And He never forgot to intercede for the people in His life. If you're wondering how Jesus unplugged and retreated, just take time reading through the gospels. Jesus knew the balance of working with people and being present with His Father.
What does be still mean to you? What would you learn in a space of retreat? What would you like to ask Him in this space? No matter what season you are in, recharging in the presence of Jesus is the best decision we could make.