Beside Still Waters

In our house, my morning starts at 5:30. I have exactly 30 minutes to take my shower, get some hot tea, and take a deep breath before my children wake up. I used to wake them by singing at the base of the stairs every morning. This year they decided they wanted alarm clocks, so I usually sit on the second stair in the still dim house and wait to hear the familiar beeping that means they’ll be coming down the stairs soon to greet me. This is still one of my favorite parts of the day. It’s my first glimpse of my children, after a night of absence. I hold them close, their little bodies still warm from the comfort of their beds. I rock them slightly, and I kiss the backs of their necks before passing them along to the morning.

We could sleep an extra 45 minutes in the mornings, but we decided years ago to get up early enough to have time to spend with each other. It's our time to relax, cuddle, and talk about what the new day will bring. I ask them every year if they'd rather sleep in, but they say no. Our time together is as important to them as it is to me, but it has to be a conscious choice, a determined effort, or it will never happen. Life is too busy.

A Changing World

Sometimes we’re drawn to the world. Sometimes it looks beautiful to us and we see the hand of God in every aspect of our day. Other times the hand of sin and death is much more apparent, and we have to look a little harder to see through the haze that seems to cover our daily routine. There is a stigma among Christians that if you’re tired you must be doing something wrong. Perhaps you’re not walking on the right path. Perhaps you’re too focused on self. After all, being a Christian is all about service, right? True, but as busy as His daily ministry kept him, even Jesus knew the value of retreat and meditation. He knew the value of making a conscious and determined effort to spend time with his Father.

Finding a Retreat

“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. Simon and his companions went to look for him, and when they found him, they exclaimed: "Everyone is looking for you!" (Mark 1:35 NIV).

Sound familiar? It’s hard to find a place where you can spend time alone with God and not have someone come looking for you. When Christ went out to the desert alone, the Bible says “The Spirit sent him” (Mark 1:12 NIV). Why do you suppose that was? Could it be that spending time alone with God is more of a necessity than a choice? Jesus retreated from his enemies, but he also retreated from his friends. He spent time alone. He rested. He meditated. He prayed. He retreated when he was battle-weary from his time with the Pharisees. He retreated to find direction for his ministry. He retreated when he was physically tired and when he needed a spiritual boost.

Not to spend time alone with God is to miss out on the blessings he has prepared for us. It is to lose the direction and wisdom that might guide us more smoothly through our day. If we are too busy to find the time to separate and commune with God beside the still waters of prayer and meditation, we are entirely too busy.

Waking Up Alone

One of the great things about our church's family camp is that all the parents watch out for each other's kids. That knowledge provides a great deal of flexibility for the kids and comfort for the parents. One day this week a group of parents were sitting on the cabin porch talking and playing games. One of the mom's from the cabin across the path from ours came over and asked if we'd keep our ears and eyes open for her daughter, Katy, to wake up. Katy was napping, her mother was scheduled to go to a ceramics class during the upcoming period, and her dad was working as the camp nurse. So we told her we would of course watch out for Katy. About an hour later, Katy woke up and wandered out onto her porch. We heard her crying across the way, so we called out to her and went over to get her. As we were taking Katy down to where her mother was, we saw her mother on the horizon walking up the hill. When she saw her mother, Katy's demeanor quickly changed.

Seeing Katy on the porch crying because she woke up alone made me think about how many times in our lives we do that too. There are days when we wake up and feel very alone. Sometimes we even feel alone when we're with others. Being alone can be discouraging, even frightening. The Israelites felt that way more than once in their experience, but Moses had been through it all. He had seen God's deliverance enough times to trust that God would never turn his back on His faithful. So when it was time for Joshua to take over, the 120-year-old Moses gave him these words of encouragement, words born from many years of experience walking with God:

"The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged." Deuteronomy 31:8 (NIV)

Next time you wake up feeling very alone, remember Moses' words to Joshua. They apply today too. The God of the Israelites is no less faithful to us.