Withdrawing

Sunday morning retuning: Tomorrow is the big day. Are you making plans? How will you respond to the challenge/encouragement?

Present tense of “withdrew.” Present and future activity for North-Mar Church. That is, if we will take up the challenge issued Sunday.

That’s an unusual word. It is the word that captured my eye last week as I prepared for the service. It captured it again on Sunday. “But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” [Luke 5:16, emphasis mine]

I am so thankful that the Father did not put parameters on that for us. I am so grateful that Jesus did not include a timeline on this. I am so appreciative that the Spirit guides us into what withdrawing looks like for us, even as we follow one step behind Jesus. And if we are going to follow a step behind, it sounds like we are going to need to withdraw. Don’t you agree?

Last week in my Tunings I closed with a quick encouragement that God is unfolding plans for each of us who have responded to His call and returned to Him. In his letter to the exiles in Babylon, Jeremiah used these words to encourage the exiles that God would unfold His plan for them as well. The very next phrase is encouraging to all who have ever had the inclination, under the Holy Spirit’s influence, to, well, withdraw.

That is what He is talking about. The prophet said it this way. “Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” [Jeremiah 29:12-13] I want to implore You to take God at His word.

Call on Him. Come to Him. Pray to Him. Why? Because He has promised to listen to you. The God of the universe, the Lord of the Ages, listening to you, to me. WOW! I believe it. But that’s not all. We will find God, see Him active and present in our lives, recognize Him, when we seek with all our hearts.

I confess I do not know exactly what that means, but I do not think that is the important part. I think it is simply important that we seek the best way we know how. And now we know that includes withdrawing. So let’s do it, and prepare to find God in the process. How exciting! Won’t you join me?

Jesus, show me how to withdraw. Help me know what that looks like for me tomorrow. Thank You for Your grace in my life that leads me along day by day. Help me to fix my eyes on You as I withdraw…

In Christ,

Pastor Timothy