|
Solitude affords the needed opportunity of
regaining heaven's perspective on the mysteries of life. This was the
experience of Asaph, who opened his heart and shared his perplexity
in Psalm 73. As he surveyed the world around him and observed the
prosperity of the wicked people among whom he moved, he almost lost
his faith. He was mystified that God should allow them to prosper and
profit by their evil deeds, while often the good people appeared to
have more than their share of adversity and suffering. Was God really
being fair by acting that way? In the light of His seeming injustice,
Asaph had begun to wonder about the point and profit of being
righteous. Hear Asaph as he pours out his complaint:
As for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had
nearly lost my foothold. For I envied the arrogant when I saw the
prosperity of the wicked. They have no struggles; their bodies are
healthy and strong. They are free from the burdens common to man;
they are not plagued by human ills. . . . This is what the wicked are
like--always carefree, they increase in wealth. Surely in vain have I
kept my heart pure . . . . When I tried to understand all this, it
was oppressive to me till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I
understood (Ps. 73:2-5,12-13,16-17).
It wasn't until he went into the silence of
the sanctuary of God that he gained heaven's perspective and found a
fresh foothold for his faith.
Habakkuk the prophet was equally mystified,
and for the same reason as Asaph, as he looked at the world around
him from his lonely watchtower:
How long, O Lord, must I call for help, but
You do not listen? Or cry out to You, "Violence!" but You
do not save? Why do You make me look at injustice? Why do You
tolerate wrong? (Hab. 1:2-3). In his reflection on this passage in
Life of Faith magazine, W. S. Hooton writes, "Like many today
[Habakkuk] seems to have found it difficult to reconcile with the
divine government the triumphs of the wicked and treacherous over those
who, whatever their sins, were not so laden with guilt. The sins of
God's people had called for correction (1:12), and the prophet knew
where their refuge was to be found." Where did he find the
answer to his perplexity? In his watchtower, when he listened for the
voice of God.
In the rush of our pressured lives, it is easy
to allow the world to dictate our agenda, to squeeze us into its
mold, while we ourselves are unconscious of the subtle erosion of our
own standards and values. Jesus did not allow even the tragic need
and suffering of the masses to rob Him of those precious times of
quiet. They were sacred oases in the desert of human sin.
He identified Himself so thoroughly with our
humanity that He experienced acute loneliness--one of the sinless
infirmities that He voluntarily assumed at the incarnation. It was no
surprise to Him when His disciples all forsook Him and fled. Had He
not already forewarned them of that danger? And they deserted Him in
His hour of greatest need. But in that darkest hour of His
loneliness, He confessed His unshaken confidence in His Father's
abiding presence:
You will leave Me all alone. Yet I am not
alone, for My Father is with Me (Jn. 16:32).
This joyous fact more than compensated for the
absence of human companionship. He knew the ultimate panacea for
loneliness, and so may we.
Let the desolate soul take comfort from the
fact that God is just as present with His lonely children today as He
was with His Son. But it is only as we believe and appropriate that
fact that we will enjoy the blessing and benefit of His conscious
presence.
Out of his rich experience of walking with
God, Thomas à Kempis gave this advice concerning the value of
solitude:
Watch for good times to retreat into yourself.
Frequently meditate on how good God is to you. Skip the tricky
questions. Read things which move your heart. If you will stop
gossiping and chattering, you will find plenty of time for helpful
meditation.
You will find in your closet of prayer what
you frequently lose when you are out in the world. The more you visit
it, the more you will want to return. But the more you avoid it, the
harder it will be to come back.
Curtis
|
