“Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him… And He went away again beyond the Jordan to the place where John was baptizing at first, and there He stayed.” John 10:31, 40

To Get Away From It All

Walk His Way Revisited

One of my favorite ways to spend a weekend is at a women’s retreat. We are usually in a mountain setting, away from the city lights and noises, apart from our usual activities. For some of us, it is a blessed relief to escape tensions and problems for a short time. When my kids were teens… well, let me just say how happy I was when a retreat came along. I got a break.

At a retreat, we are reminded that we are beloved, chosen, and accepted. We find that we are not alone in our life situations; godly women teach us the Word; we are filled up to the brim with the presence of the Lord. And when it is time to go home, even though it is sometimes hard to let go of the weekend’s rest and beauty, we are refreshed, revived, and ready. At home there are other things to learn, not in the quiet and shelter of a retreat, but in experience, in person, applying to our own lives what we have been taught. This is the way the lessons become ours forever—not in knowledge or book learning, but in practice.

Jesus often took His disciples apart from the constant ministry and interruptions of so many people coming and going that they didn’t even have time to eat. In today’s text, He took them away with Him to a safe place—a retreat of sorts. While He was in Jerusalem, even though that’s where the ministry was, He was not safe. When He took the disciples “beyond the Jordan”, He was taking them to a place that was not under Jerusalem’s governing authorities, thus He (and they) would be in no danger of being charged with inciting a riot. This must have been a huge relief to His disciples—to know that, for a while, their every word and act would not be scrutinized and criticized. Beyond the Jordan, they were in a place of listening.

There are some things we just can’t hear in the midst of the noise of our lives. It is even harder to hear Him if we live in a place of fear or turmoil. Jesus bids us come away with Him for a while, not only to rest, but also to be in a “quiet” place so we can hear His fresh Word to us.

Jesus, we hear You calling us to come away with You. We trust You to provide the time and place for us to get away into the safety of Your presence. We are thankful that You provide what we need. In Your precious Name we pray. Amen.