After a busy ministry season with the disciples, Jesus invited them to “come with Me, by yourselves, to a quiet place and get some rest.” Jesus followed the Spirit’s prompting into the wilderness for forty days to prepare for temptation. Luke tells us that “Jesus often withdrew to the wilderness for prayer.” –Luke 5:16, NLT
There was a pattern and rhythm to the life of Jesus. This pattern forces us to ask, “If Jesus set aside extended times of retreat to stay focused on the Father and listen to the Spirit, how can we not do the same?”
Think of your family vacation. Why do you take one? Vacations are a great way to reconnect with family, to recharge our relational and many times physical batteries. Retreats serve much of the same purpose in regard to our relationship with God and are a powerful means to create space for us to:
- Worship – engaging our heart through song and prayer to love and be loved by God.
- Grow – engaging our mind to reflect and listen to important aspects of our inner life that are typically kept silenced and hidden away.
- Serve – engaging our hands to live in a Christlike sacrificial way towards others in the normal flow of your life–realizing you are free to love because you are freely loved.
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