{"id":21252,"date":"2017-01-04T00:10:54","date_gmt":"2017-01-04T08:10:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lccredding.com\/lcc\/?p=9802"},"modified":"2017-01-04T00:10:54","modified_gmt":"2017-01-04T08:10:54","slug":"january-4-2017","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lccredding.org\/church\/2017\/01\/04\/january-4-2017\/","title":{"rendered":"January 4, 2017"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

\u201cAnd when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was there alone.\u201d<\/em> Matthew 14:23<\/span><\/p>\n

Cultivating Awe and Reverence for God, Day 4<\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n

Perfect Solitude<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

I love to be alone. I crave solitude. While raising a number of children in a wide range of ages, I felt I would never be alone again. They would surely NEVER all be gone at the same time. My house, life, and thoughts would never be still again. But eventually, they all married and left to live their lives without their parents around.<\/span><\/p>\n

Not all of you are glad to have a quiet house, but I am. A noisy environment requires a lot of energy. It exhausts me. It keeps me so preoccupied that I seem to have no thoughts of my own\u2014only input, input, input.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Even living in a quiet house, I know that I still need the personal discipline of shutting out distractions so that I can be focused on the Lord. \u201cDistraction is our active choice to briefly escape something demanding,\u201d Matthew Westerholm writes in a blog post on John Piper\u2019s website, Desiring God<\/em>.<\/span><\/p>\n

If focus is anything, it is demanding. We escape with distractions.<\/span><\/p>\n

I console myself: Even Jesus had to get alone. He knew He needed the solitude that came with being alone with His Father, seeking Him, waiting for Him, depending on Him. Replenishing what had been depleted.<\/span><\/p>\n

I must have fellowship with the Lord. If I do not learn to be silent before Him, I will not have fellowship. I will be in fellowship with my phone, my friends, my family, my books, my television. I will be in fellowship with everything except my Father.<\/span><\/p>\n

See, He wants to be with me. This is His desire. And it is my deepest desire to be in His presence as often as possible. I want to be in fellowship with His written Word. In fellowship with His Spirit. In fellowship with the realities of kingdom living. In fellowship with the true and living God.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Solitude\u2014being detached and set apart\u2014is a life-changing discipline that His children should practice. Solitude is like being in a tiny, private chamber with room for only two\u2014you and the Father. It is the place we can hear His heart, feel His love, know His will with certainty, and see our own sinfulness in contrast to His holiness. It\u2019s the place that proves He is the most important thing in our lives. \u201cAnd when they were alone, He explained all things to His disciples\u201d<\/em> (Mark 4:34). What a privilege, to have the Lord explain things to us.<\/span><\/p>\n

Enter the quiet place to hear what Jesus is saying. Awe and reverence will be cultivated right there.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFather, we know we\u2019ll find You in the quiet place. As Your own Word has said*, may we aspire to lead a quiet life. In Jesus\u2019 Name, Amen.\u201d<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

*1 Thessalonians 4:11<\/span><\/em><\/h4>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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