On a recent trip to Williamsburg, my family and I enjoyed spending an afternoon strolling through the revolutionary city, observing many skills that, in hindsight, I recognized have become obsolete as a result of technology. Those who practice the art of shoemaker, silversmith, blacksmith, brickmaker and wheelwright are all under siege from technology’s automation. In the same way, those who seek to emulate Christ and practice the increasingly lost spiritual discipline of solitude are besieged by technology, which can easily intrude into any moment of quiet contemplation. Jesus himself fell victim to interruption, apart from technology, when seeking solitude with His Father in the passage below,
“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!’ Jesus replied, ‘Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.’ So he traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons.” (Mark 1:35-39)
It’s important to understand that when it says, “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark,” it was possibly as early as 3-4am when Jesus left Simon’s house in the city, and went out of town to a garden or remote building. I envision Jesus seeking solace in the darkness in an isolated place, much like the picture above of a remote village in the Dominican Republic we recently visited.
Paul Miller notes in his book A Praying Life: Connecting with God in a Distracting World,
“Jesus loved people and had the power to help so he had one interruption after another. If Jesus lived today, his cell phone would be ringing constantly…By spending time with our Father in prayer we integrate our lives with his, with what he is doing in us. Our lives become more coherent. They feel calmer, more ordered, even in the midst of confusion and pressure.”
A few points to consider from Jesus’ example above:
1. Solitude is costly.
Jesus prayed when it cost him something; he rose and went out a long while before daylight. In the same manner, if we desire solitude, it may cost us sleep in order to spend time with our Heavenly Father, either rising early or remaining up late into the quite hours of the night.
2. Solitude provides focus.
Jesus knew he needed time with His Heavenly Father in order to prepare him for the day ahead. The distraction found him out, but not before he had been prepared for ministry, and aligned his priorities with His Father’s priorities. Every follower of Christ needs that same daily alignment of priorities and commitment to character.
3. Solitude produces an attitude of awe and dependence.
When we “unplug” long enough to contemplate the magnificence of God, we destroy an elevated sense of self. I witnessed this on a recent camping trip, as I watched a fellow camper miss a unique moment to grasp the wonder of God and his creation, because his eyes were locked on his smart phone. His heightened sense of self squelched an opportunity for awe.
In short, determination to live FOR CHRIST must be combined with a daily isolation to be WITH CHRIST.
One such man who combined a determination to live for Christ with the discipline to daily isolate himself from distraction to be with Christ was Robert C. Chapman, who lived in the 1800’s in England. He was referred to as “the saintliest man I ever knew” by Charles Spurgeon – high praise from the man known as the Prince of Preachers. On one occasion, Chapman expressed his life’s goal in these words:
“Seeing that so many preach Christ and so few live Christ, I will aim to live Him.”
It’s been over 100 years since Robert Chapman has died, but today, like then, many preach Christ, but few live him. Determine today to life FOR CHRIST by isolating time to be WITH CHRIST, free from all distractions, most notably those with an ON/OFF switch.
