Places and Purpose
Luke 5:16
Luke 5:16 (MSG) As often as possible Jesus withdrew to out-of-the-way places for prayer
Luke 5 is full of activity for Jesus. He teaches, He calls, He heals, His fame spreads and more people come to hear from Him and be healed by Him, He heals the paralytic, is confronted by the Pharisees, calls Levi, and teaches about fasting. Just reading Luke 5 gives me anxiety. And yet, Jesus teaches us a very important lesson – Jesus withdrew. In the middle of everything that takes place, as the momentum is gaining, Jesus teaches us an important lesson about connecting/reconnecting with God.
One lesson is the importance of place. Jesus went away to places where there were no distractions; not because people weren’t important, because intimacy with the Father requires intention. Distraction chips away at identity, solitude helps restore it. When Jesus withdrew from the noise, the expectation performance, He was shaping the posture of His heart.
The second lesson speaks to the importance of purpose and His purpose was prayer. He wasn’t escaping. He wasn’t going to rest. He was seeking alignment. When Jesus withdrew, He wasn’t running away from His mission – He was setting His anchor into it. It was in the place of withdrawal where His clarity was renewed, His obedience was strengthened, and His power was replenished. What Jesus did in public was sustained by what He did in private.
With all that is going on in the world around us, we have to be diligent in the withdrawing, so we don’t miss out on the opportunities for obedience that God places before us each day. Therefore, we must choose our places intentionally; because if we don’t, the world will. We must also not lose sight of our purpose, because even good activities will drain us. Sacred places don’t become holy because of their location; they become holy because of our devotion. Purpose turns space into a sanctuary.
Luke 5:16 (MSG) As often as possible Jesus withdrew to out-of-the-way places for prayer
Luke 5 is full of activity for Jesus. He teaches, He calls, He heals, His fame spreads and more people come to hear from Him and be healed by Him, He heals the paralytic, is confronted by the Pharisees, calls Levi, and teaches about fasting. Just reading Luke 5 gives me anxiety. And yet, Jesus teaches us a very important lesson – Jesus withdrew. In the middle of everything that takes place, as the momentum is gaining, Jesus teaches us an important lesson about connecting/reconnecting with God.
One lesson is the importance of place. Jesus went away to places where there were no distractions; not because people weren’t important, because intimacy with the Father requires intention. Distraction chips away at identity, solitude helps restore it. When Jesus withdrew from the noise, the expectation performance, He was shaping the posture of His heart.
The second lesson speaks to the importance of purpose and His purpose was prayer. He wasn’t escaping. He wasn’t going to rest. He was seeking alignment. When Jesus withdrew, He wasn’t running away from His mission – He was setting His anchor into it. It was in the place of withdrawal where His clarity was renewed, His obedience was strengthened, and His power was replenished. What Jesus did in public was sustained by what He did in private.
With all that is going on in the world around us, we have to be diligent in the withdrawing, so we don’t miss out on the opportunities for obedience that God places before us each day. Therefore, we must choose our places intentionally; because if we don’t, the world will. We must also not lose sight of our purpose, because even good activities will drain us. Sacred places don’t become holy because of their location; they become holy because of our devotion. Purpose turns space into a sanctuary.
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