Celebrations of Disciplines | Alone With God
Celebrations of Disciplines: Part I
ALONE WITH GOD
1) Jeremiah 29:13 (ESV) 13 You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.
2) Mark 1:35 (ESV) 35 And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.
Have you ever said, “I don’t have the time to pray and read the Bible?” Unfortunately, some Christians have made these excuses that the reason they have failed to develop these healthy habits of praying and reading their Bibles regularly is that they don’t have time. But is that really true? Well, if they would be honest with themselves, most often, the real reason is simply because they have failed to discipline themselves in developing these spiritual habits that will help them maintain a vibrant Christian life.
Richard Foster, the author of the book, Celebrations of Disciplines, wrote about this truth saying:
“The disciplined person is the person who can do what needs to be done when it needs to be done.”
So, do you agree with this description of a disciplined person? Would you consider yourself a disciplined believer? You see, in the New Testament, it is quite evident that the Christian life has often been compared to athletes because to them, discipline is absolutely necessary. One good example is Paul’s statement in 1 Timothy 4:7-8 (ESV) 7 Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; 8 for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.
As we all know, self-discipline is crucial for an athlete who is training to be a winner in his or her chosen field of competition. Of course, you don’t have to be an athlete to know that you need a lot of discipline to maintain a healthy body. There are so many people today who have disciplined themselves to go to the gym at least 2 to 3 times a week just to maintain good health. However, I would like to specifically highlight the last phrase of verse 7, “Rather train yourself for godliness.” As the apostle Paul was exhorting them not to waste their time in godless and silly fables, he also emphasized to them the need to be “training” or “disciplining” themselves to a godlier character. Then, he proceeded in verse 8, explaining that godliness can bring them greater benefits because it will impact their lives while they were on earth and when they get to heaven. But how many of us really think of disciplining ourselves for godliness? Often, we really don’t have enough sense of how godliness can really bless us. So, we continue to take it for granted.
This reality is the main reason we will tackle this month a sermon series entitled, “Celebrations of Disciplines.” This series is designed to help us learn more about five spiritual disciplines or spiritual habits of devotion that are necessary for our pursuit of godliness. In other words, it would be impossible for us to develop godliness without these spiritual disciplines. Let me also emphasize that this covid-19 lockdown is possibly the best time to train ourselves to develop these spiritual disciples because we have more time for ourselves since we are stuck in our homes most of the time. And also the fact that for such a time as these when we are surrounded by so much troubles, we need to build these disciplines in our lives. I really believe that building these spiritual disciplines would be the best way to face all our troubles today.
To start this series, we will talk about being “Alone with God.” How many of us are intentional in spending personal time with God away from any distractions? Since we live in a world filled with busy schedules and so many distractions, it would take some disciplines to set aside some time to be alone with God. It’s almost like our marriage and family time, since they are valuable to us, we are very intentional in making time for them. The same should be said about our relationship with God. If we fail to give in doing it, we won’t have an intimate relationship with Him. If you go back to the passage we read earlier, Jeremiah 29:13, God has clearly stated that if we seek Him, He guarantees to us that we will find Him. If there’s a feeling that we are distant from God, the problem is definitely not coming from the Lord, but from us, right? So, allow me to show you why we need it and what we need to do in order to establish it in our lives.
I OUR SAVIOR’S EXAMPLE:
After Jesus finished His work of salvation at the cross, everyone who responded to His invitation to be saved must also see Him as his or her ultimate example in living the Christian life. The apostle Peter saw this truth as a call to all the believers:
1 Peter 2:21 (ESV) 21 For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.
Therefore, having established this calling, we must recognize that one of the great examples He left us includes spending time alone with God. Here are some of those examples:
A. He spent forty days alone in the desert when He inaugurated his ministry (Matthew 4:1-11).
B. He went to the mountain alone to pray before choosing His 12 disciples.
Luke 6:12-16 (ESV) 12 In these days he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God. 13 And when day came, he called his disciples and chose from them twelve, whom he named apostles: 14 Simon, whom he named Peter, and Andrew his brother, and James and John, and Philip, and Bartholomew, 15 and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon who was called the Zealot, 16 and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.
C. After the miraculous feeding of the five thousand Jesus "went up into the hills by himself.”
Matthew 14:23 (ESV) 23 And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone.”
D. As he prepared for His most important work, Jesus sought to be alone with God in the Garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26:36-46).
These examples of Jesus Christ are so important because they help us realize that if the Son of God Himself found it necessary to spend an “alone time” with God, how much more us who are weak and vulnerable human beings? Let me state this principle clearly: If we think that we can thrive in our Christian without making time to be alone with God to draw strength from Him, we are simply being ignorant, or worst, we are being arrogant.
II OUR SECRET PLACE
In addition to the clear example that Jesus provided us, He also plainly taught us to do it. Listen to His words during His Sermon on the Mount:
Matthew 6:5-6 (ESV) 5 “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
During the times of Jesus Christ, it was a familiar sight for religious people to go to the Temple to pray. It’s almost like going to the Western (or Wailing) Wall today, primarily for the purpose of praying. Of course, the main motivations why people went to the Temple to pray were the following: First, the Temple represented the presence of God. Back in the Old Testament, both the Tabernacle and the Temple brought the impression to the nation of Israel that God was dwelling in the midst of His people. So, going to the Temple meant that they were drawing themselves close to God. Second, the Temple also demonstrated their faith because God made a covenant to Solomon that He would hear the prayers of His people when they are made in the Temple that Solomon built for God (2 Chronicles 7:14-16).
However, because of the sinfulness of the hearts of human beings, this idea of going to the Temple to pray was eventually corrupted that many went to display hypocritically their religiousness. Thus, to combat hypocrisy, Jesus taught them that they might as well pray to God by themselves, in their chosen secret place because this approach would be more effective to do it this way. Obviously, besides overcoming hypocrisy, there are definitely some practical advantages in praying in secret by ourselves.
A. When we are alone with God, it is easier to focus on Him and pour our hearts to Him.
Let’s face it, often, there are so many distractions, and it is so hard to concentrate on our prayers. Also, whenever we pray, there are so many things we may want to say freely that we don’t want others to hear or openly express in front of other people. So, we are more transparent and open when we pray in secret.
B. Being alone with God takes away the fear that people around might judge you for not praying as eloquently as others.
There are so many believers who are not comfortable praying in public because they are so conscious of the people around them. Often, these people are afraid that they might stumble or say the wrong things in their prayers. It is unfortunate that in our Christian communities, we often have created the impression that public prayers are reserved to a selected few.
C. It takes away the pressure to pray shorter because we don’t want others to feel that we are long-winded in our prayers.
Another advantage I can think of is for people who don’t feel comfortable to pray in public because they want to take their time in expressing themselves to God. Unfortunately, this type of prayer doesn’t sit well with many. And they often find a way to verbalize it, so we get the impression that long prayers are not acceptable in public prayers. Honestly, there’s no time limit stated in the Bible regarding prayers, but we simply limit our time to be considerate of others. To avoid all these complications, we can say that we can pray as much as we want to in our private prayers.
Looking at all these advantages, I hope that we would find our secret place where we can consistently meet with God. If you are one of these who are having difficulty finding one because there’s not an extra room in your house, you may want to follow the example of Susana Wesley. She was the mother of John and Charles Wesley. It appears that Mrs. Wesley had ten children who were always crying for her attention. Yet she still established a prayer closet. She taught her children that when they saw her sitting with her apron over her head, they were to back off and leave her alone. Her prayer closet was under her apron. So, where is your secret place?
III OUR STILLNESS WITH GOD
One of the most precious passages for spending an “alone time” with God comes from Psalm 46:
Psalm 46:10 (ESV) 10 “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”
To appreciate the essence of this verse, we need to spend time looking at the context of Psalm 46. Here are some of the important verses that establish its context:
Psalm 46:1-7 (ESV) 1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, 3 though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah 4There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High.4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High. 5 God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns. 6 The nations rage, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts. 7 The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah
When you examine these verses, it is evident that the Psalmist highlights the sufficiency of God in terms of protecting His people against threats of natural calamities or invading enemies. Verse 1 allows the reader to focus on some of the great characteristics of God, like Him being our refuge, strength, and our very present help in troubles. So, whenever we are facing some intimidating troubles, we have to be careful that we do not magnify our troubles more than magnifying our great God.
Now, in verse 10, with the exhortation “to be still and know,” who God is, it is absolutely helpful that we learn to run to a place where we can just be quiet before God and give time to reflect on how great He is to us. You see, our common tendencies to be frantic and anxious often come because of our failure to be still before God. Again, once we are in the presence of God, the Psalmist reminds us that He is very much in control of everything, and we can continually exalt Him.
So, do you have a place and time that you have set aside to be alone with God? I pray that if this discipline is an area of spiritual habits that you have to build into your life, you will make a commitment to God this morning and start doing it. As you begin doing it, remember two things:
You really need to find a place where you can be alone. This place could be at your bedroom, office, or at a park where you can walk by yourself.
You can take the time to talk to God, but allow Him to talk to you. If you are sensitive to His voice, He can talk to you in a “gentle whisper” just like how he spoke with Elijah (1 Kings 19:12).
As I close, I want to leave you with the words of the Psalmist who testified that his time alone with God brought his soul so much satisfaction:
Psalm 63:5-7 (NASB) 5 My soul is satisfied as with marrow and fatness, And my mouth offers praises with joyful lips. 6 When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches, 7 For You have been my help, And in the shadow of Your wings I sing for joy.
Just like this Psalmist, I hope and pray that all of us would also experience the same satisfaction of our soul that comes through spending time alone with God.
-Dr. Jeremiah Lepasana