Retreat for a Moment

Matthew 14:23: “And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there.”

In the 19th century, Europe was under the power of France. Napoleon Bonaparte was the French military leader at that time. One day, Napoleon invaded Great Britain. The mighty men of Napoleon were faced with the British soldiers under the command of Duke of Wellington. When his army was pressed, the Duke of Wellington shouted “retreat.” His army retreated slowly from the battlefield. Seeing his enemies retreating, Napoleon thought he had the victory. Actually, the British army retreated to arrange a new strategy and at the end of a story, they defeated the French army and won the battle of Waterloo.

The lives of Christians are no different than the battlefield.  Every day, we have to fight against the life challenges, problems, and the devil’s intimidation. Many people, who actually have enough “bullets” and “ammunition” to conquer the battle, do not have the strategy to come out as conquerors. One of the strategies is to retreat.

Jesus often set aside time to pray alone (Luke 22:41: “He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed”) When he was all alone, he communicated with the Father in Heaven for wisdom and new strength.

This is what we must do as God’s children. We need to be alone with the Lord – retreat for a moment from our routine and set aside some time to communicate with Him. In our time with the Lord, we will surely receive new strength which will enable us to enter the battlefield of our daily lives. Also during our time of retreat, we can evaluate ourselves. This self-evaluation will help us to repent if we have any thoughts, words or actions that are not pleasing to the Lord. In staying still, the emotions that are exploding due to all kinds of pressure can also subside. We will then be able to think more objectively and correctly.

If there is any of us who feels that this life is becoming stagnant (there is no change, no progress, no passion, and things are lukewarm), maybe it is because we have become too busy and it is now the time to spend some time with the Lord alone.

For those who set aside time from their busyness for the Lord, they will continue to be strong and passionate in living their lives. There is strength and anointing from the Holy Spirit that is always being pumped into their lives. Amen. God bless.

                                                                                                                    Source: Publishing Team. IBC Church