Lonely Places

 "But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed."

— Luke 5:16

Gracious Lord Jesus, my friend and my King,

My spirit can only sustain what my soul is willing to obtain. My spirit can only pour out what my soul has first drawn in. Just as you often withdrew to lonely places and prayed, so also must I get away from my day-to-day, from the constancy of life, and withdraw with you. In those times away, you were replenished by the Father's love. The love of the Father's eyes compensated for the rejection in the eyes of men. Being replenished by the Father enabled you to pursue the lost.

Lord, that's my desire as I get away in the next few days. I want to detach from the demands of my days, disassociate from the cares of the world, and disengage from my responsibilities and distractions. My aim is to decompress and allow my soul to breathe, to defragment and bring scattered thoughts back into alignment, descend into humble solitude and quietness, and to dwell in your presence long enough to receive. As I do this, I am assured I will find delight and rediscover the joy that is mine when I am with you.

Gracious Lord, as I withdraw with You to a lonely place to pray, I think You in advance that You will meet me there. Would You go before me and prepare this time so that I can detach, disengage, disassociate, and decompress? Help me to defragment and declutter, to detox and descend, to dwell and delight. I am confident that this is something You can and will deliver!

— In Jesus' Name I pray, Amen!

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