No, this isn’t a play on those Southwest Airline commercials. Although, a few of them are funny, but that is not the direction of this blog. One of my favorite things to do when I get a chance is to find a place to, well, get away. Not a place in my home where I know it is quiet, or getting up early where I can be alone, but a place that is actually away from it all.

   

I can remember a few places that I purposely went to so that I would be able to get away. My all-time favorite place is a dock in Georgia. Although it has been many years since the last time I was there, I can still remember my mornings on that dock. The quietness of the water, the light breeze, the sun starting to rise, and of course the peace of being alone.

   

Don’t get me wrong, there are places, obviously, where I am alone and it is quiet so I can spend time with God. There are even places in my house when I get up early enough or stay up late enough that I know I would not be interrupted and I can have dedicated time. Sometimes that quietness comes when I am walking my dogs or even in my car on the way to work, but those places (home, work, walking, and my car) although good, didn’t have the meaning or appeal as the dock on the lake.

   

A lot of times we get stuck in a routine, and although it might be good, it doesn’t have the same excitement as it did before. Unfortunately, for some of us that describes our “quiet time” with God. We have a place, a time, or even a particular study that has become part of the norm, but the intrigue and passion or excitement has tampered off a bit. Yes, we are still having that time, which is great, but the newness of it has wavered and possibly even that “small quiet voice” we were hearing has now gone silent. Maybe you have a big decision to make or are beyond stressed out. Maybe that silent voice is frustrating you or you are feeling distant from God. You could be like me and miss that newness more and more each day.

   

As a new believer in college, the stories of Jesus getting away to pray were my favorite. The importance of Jesus’ getting alone is found numerous times in the gospels. He started His ministry alone in prayer and it is how He made key decisions. Jesus would take this time alone to deal with grief (death of John the Baptist), get away from the constant demands (we have all been there), and care for His soul (we could all use that). Yes, He had places where He prayed where He was not alone and places where although He was alone, people could find Him (Luke 22:39, Mark 14:32) but He made sure He had somewhere that others, even His disciples, were not going to interrupt Him before He was finished praying (Luke 6:12). What sticks out to me the most was that no matter what was going on in Jesus’ life, He desired and looked for places to get away from it all.