ALONE WITH GOD

​ALONE WITH GOD

As I write this, I am sequestered in the cabin of one of our church’s members. I’ve come here to pray and plan my next months of sermons.

Retreat times like these have come to be very important for me. In the book of Acts, Peter explains to the church that, as an apostle, he must not allow himself to get sidetracked from “prayer and the ministry of the word” (Acts 6:3-4). While I am not an apostle like Peter, I am still charged with these dual responsibilities.

In my time here I have prayed about my sermons. I have prayed for God’s protection and blessing on our church, for our staff and leaders, and for specific issues our church is facing. I have prayed that God will allow our church, along with Bridge Church, to see 300 people come to faith in Him. I have prayed for people in our church dealing with difficult circumstances. While I have not been able to completely unplug from electronic communications with the office, I have still had significantly more time for prayer than my normal week allows.

Someone compared our lives to a jar of silty water taken from a stream bottom. When we spend time in solitude, the silt has a chance to settle so that the water can become clear. We all need times free from distraction where we can draw near to God and focus again on what really matters in life.

I hope you can find time alone to pray. If you have a family, I hope you can find time together to pray. As the poem by Tennyson says, “More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of.” --Pastor Tom 

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