Wild holy moments…
The Spirit then compelled Jesus to go into the wilderness Mark 1:12
But Jesus often withdrew to the wilderness for prayer. Luke 5:15
To sit in solitude, to think in solitude with only the music of the stream and the cedar to break the flow of silence, there lies the value of wilderness. John Muir
In the woods, we return to reason and faith. Ralph Waldo Emerson
As I continue forward in my learning how to more frequently and deeply carry out the practice of silence and solitude with God, many new thoughts come to mind after spending time with my Jesus. In the past, I’ve only truly experienced silence and solitude in wild natural places. Those were often times when it wasn’t even a conscious choice to enter into God’s Presence, but an unanticipated moving of the Holy Spirit in my soul to provide a sacred time with my Savior as I savored nature’s blessings. Each time that it occurred, peace filled my heart, and I felt rested and restored. For years, I thought that made me odd, but I’ve come to realize that’s not the case at all. In fact, I have the best model of all to show that wild places are wonderful places to spend time with the Father.
What did Jesus do when he was baptized and preparing to start His ministry on earth? He went into the wilderness for an extended period of time. Then, throughout the busy ministry years, Jesus would frequently withdraw to wild, lonely places to spend time with His Father. When the only voices are birds in trees, the whisper of a breeze, the sound of moving water, or other sounds of nature, peace reigns. Distracting human voices and human made items are no longer present; there’s only the natural world as God originally designed it. Clearing away the worldly distractions and noise in my head seems so much easier in the wild; I think that Jesus found that true too.
Though not always purposefully seeking the wilderness for that experience of silence and solitude with God, He has showed me more than once that it’s the best place to be with Him. That being said, we can’t always escape to the wilderness, but God can meet us wherever we are. We just have to learn how to create time and a space for a holy encounter. Wishing you joy on that journey.
