I love having my husband at home. We talk, watch British Comedies, and play games together. We take walks, enjoy the outdoors, and dream about the future. I truly enjoy his company. Just the same, I always learn something when he’s gone. I always learn something when I’m alone, late at night in an empty house, with creaky walls and dark hallways. God always seems to teach me something in the quiet.
In my devotions today I was reminded that even Jesus sought out solitary spots from time to time (see John 6:15;Mark 1:35; Luke 4:42). They were places he went to pray and seek the face of God.
For me, solitary places are times when I learn to depend on God. They’re the times when I’m reminded that I am safe and sound in the arms of Jesus. They’re the times when I’m reminded that God is truly all I need to survive. I don’t need anyone or anything else. They’re the times when I move my focus away from earthly things and back to the face of God, where it belongs.
No, I don’t always enjoy be alone. Cooking for one can be tedious, and the bed can get really cold at night without someone beside me, just the same, I’m starting to learn that God is ready and willing to speak to me in these moments of solitude, if only I shut off my brain and open my heart.
What about you? What does God teach you in moments of solitude?
Lord, thank you for comforting me through the lonely times and for reminding me that you are my true refuge and strength (Psalm 46).
I was sick, really sick, like you don’t want the details gross kind of sick. At first, my husband was a wonderful helper, getting me ginger ale from the store, retrieving ice packs from the freezer and putting different DVDs in for me to watch. It was wonderful having him there to take care of me. And then, the inevitable happened, he got sick too.
Now I don’t handle sickness on a good day. Just imagine how I felt now that we were both on our backs on the couch, neither of us feeling like we could help the other at all. It wasn’t fun. Just the same, I knew what I needed to do. I needed to be there for my husband. I needed to get him wet rags and cups of ginger ale and the throw blanket from over in the corner . I need to love with a sacrificial kind of love, the kind of love that would take care of my husband even when I myself was feeling pretty sick. This was the first time loving my husband was truly a sacrifice for me. For the most part loving him is pretty enjoyable. This wasn’t, so I definitely need some help from God.
And so I prayed to God to help us through this day. I prayed to God to help me find the strength to care for my husband and to love him with a truly sacrificial love.
And amazingly I did it. I still wasn’t completely well, but God gave me the strength to do the menial tasks that needed to be accomplished. I cleaned up after us, kept our glasses filled with ginger ale, and with the help of God made it through the rest of our day of sickness.
I don’t think that God made us sick on Sunday. But I do think he had something very important to teach me on that day. He wanted me to truly see what sacrificial love feels like, and what it’s like to depend on Him to get from one moment to the next. This isn’t a lesson I’ll forget very soon.
Here are some verses that were on my heart today. I hope they bless you too:
“He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak” (Isaiah 40:29 NIV)
“Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all” (Mark 9:35 NIV).
“Love is patient, love is kind…. it is not self-seeking…. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. (1 Corinthians 13: 4-5,7-8 NIV)
