The Heart of Darkness

But He Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray.  Luke 5:16

Wilderness – It’s likely that you have a marginal note in your Bible about this word.  You see, it literally means, “lonely places.”  The Greek is tais eremois.  It’s plural – more than one place.  And the verb literally means “withdrawing.”  Jesus had a very different reaction to fame.  Today the great religious leader gives interviews on Good Morning America, has a mega-church, a personal website and a long string of publishing credentials; but not Jesus.  When His fame spread through the countryside, He deliberately retreated to the lonely places.  He avoided the crowds.  He stepped away from the limelight.  Why would He do this?  Couldn’t He have accomplished more for the Kingdom by accepting the recognition?

There is a powerful – and difficult – lesson in leadership found in this word, eremois.  It’s all about the heart of darkness.  Jesus knew that reputation and fame among men was the center of a great temptation.  We all want recognition, and when it is offered to us for good reasons, it seems quite natural to accept the accolades.  After all, Jesus was healing and preaching.  He was famous for good works.

But Jesus knew that only One person could grant approval that truly mattered.  All the rest was potential distraction and disaster.  All the rest was laced with hubris.  So, Jesus withdrew – to the heart of darkness where the Father offered counsel.  He went to the lonely places – the places that were empty except for God.

If you’re like me, you will do just about anything to avoid the lonely places.  In fact, those places – inside and outside – scare me.  I don’t like the feelings I find in those places.  I walk a little faster to get away from them, or I find a comfortable distraction to push them aside.  I’m a product of a culture that hates lonely places.  That’s why we stuff our environment with non-stop noise and entertainment.  We just don’t want to be close to the holes in our lives.

But Jesus went there on purpose.  He realized that human emptiness is God-space.  If I want to be with the Father, I have to go toward the holes.  If I want to be a leader who knows the Father’s will, I will have to seek Him rather than the kudos of my devoted followers.  The leader after God’s own heart is the leader who spends more time in the heart of darkness than on the stage.  Why?  Because God is in the empty places.

Don’t tell me you’re exempt because you’re not a leader.  You are called to be like Jesus.  That means you are called to the wilderness.  Embrace your emptiness.  God lives there.