By yourselves

“And He said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a lonely place and rest awhile.”  Mark 6:31

By yourselves – God designed us to take breaks.  But we treat His design as though it were nothing more than a rest stop on the freeway.   Slow down.  Stretch your legs.  Go to the bathroom and zoom off again.  We think of rest as a quite evening in front of the television, a weekend at the beach or a Monday holiday.  We look forward to Sunday so that we can catch up on the work that we need to do around the house.  About the only time we completely rest is when the body gets so tired that we get sick.  We are a culture that only experiences solitude if it is forced on us.  Like sitting in the dark when the power is out.

The Greek expression kat’ idian really means, “privately, by yourself, apart from all others.”  Jesus implores his disciples to get away from everything and everyone.  He encourages solitude.  And not just solitude in the comfort of your favorite armchair.  Jesus suggests solitude in a “lonely place”.  This word is translated “wilderness” many times.  Jesus says, “Go away alone to the wilderness and rest.”

Why would Jesus suggest that his followers seek solitude in the wilderness?  Why not send them to the temple or the synagogue?  Why not tell them to get a good night’s sleep or take a weekend vacation?  Jesus points them toward the wilderness because the wilderness is a place of encounter with God.  The wilderness is the home of God’s judgment and God’s provision.  When we need renewal, we need God-time, not diversions.  And Jesus says, “by yourselves” because He knows that God deals uniquely with each of us in the wilderness confrontation.  You can’t get face-to-face with God by proxy. 

We don’t listen very well to this kind of encouragement from Jesus.  We think that we are just too busy to steal away to the wilderness alone.   But it’s closer to the truth to say that we are afraid to seek God alone in the wilderness!  Just God and me.  Nothing to distract.  No one to divert attention.  No wonder solitude is frightening – until you try it.  When you’re finally ready (or not) to meet God alone in the lonely place, you discover something amazing.  God loves you.   That is renewal that counts.