Leave

Lent Day 21

Last week, about this time, Bay & I had just finished speaking at a Missionary Conference at New Life Family Center in California, and were sneaking our way through traffic toward San Diego for a few days of vacation on the beach.

There is no other place where my heart feels so at home. Having been raised on the coast in Oregon, the sounds, sights, smells of the ocean simply draw me into the Presence of the Savior. Of course, in His Presence is my "joy place;" and, that joy wells up almost immediately.

 It's almost magical, but not.

For 2 1/2 days, we joined dear friends on Coronado Island, staying on the U.S. Navy Base. From the lodge room, we could walk 57 steps and be on sandy shores. I counted.

I woke up the first morning, quite early, grabbed my free cup of coffee from the lobby, and sat on our balcony to soak in JOY.

This morning, I turned to Mark 1:35 and read these words:

Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up and left the house, and went to pray in a solitary place.

It was early.

Not dark...the sun was rising.

This word struck me: "LEFT."

Jesus left.

He left the house.

Before the rest of the world was awake,

or the light had dawned,

or lanterns were lit.

Before the house was a hub of activity.

Before the birds sang their choruses,

or rooster's crowed (well, that could be debatable, our kids across the street have roosters, and they don't limit their crowing exclusively to dawn).

Before traffic to the markets, or the wells, or the city gates clogged the streets.

Before words were exchanged between humans...words were exchanged between God the Father, and

God the Son.

Jesus left for solitude.

It was my invitation to be alone.

To exchange words with my God.

To be in His Presence.

"To depart, or go forth, into a place of influence for a purpose" (that's what my Greek Lexicon gave me for a definition of "left").

So, I responded. 

I left my seat.

Sat on the beach.

Talked to the Lord about a number of things, beginning with Thanksgiving.

Bridging thanks into Praise.

Repenting of my negative nature that sees things as 1/2 empty so much of the time.

Repentant of disgruntlement...

Seeking a new touch from the Lord.

Prayerful - not to speak, but to be spoken to...

These were the first words that I heard in the silence.

"When you seek Me, you will find me... Call on Me, and I will answer you, and show you GREAT and MIGHTY things...even things you do not know."

In leaving I found a place of influence...

And God spoke.

My invitation is also God's invitation to each of us. 

Sometimes we need to LEAVE the house.

Now and again, we need a QUIET place....

For the purpose of finding a place of influence for the purpose of being in God's Presence.

JOY Restored.

This is an open invitation.

Find your place of solitude during Lent.

It doesn't have to be a beach.

It could be a coffee shop (I've often felt very alone in the middle of people because of a beautiful word called "anonymity")

A place for the purpose of being in His Presence...

For restoring your JOY!

LEAVE!!!!!