Jesus has heard some bad news. Not only that His cousin John was dead – beheaded by Herod – but that Herod was now convinced Jesus Himself was John, resurrected. In modern vernacular, things in Jesus’ world were getting messed up. The enemy has made some inroads and the threat is obvious. Fortunately, Jesus has a strategy for when things get messed up, “When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place.”
Jesus interrupts His ministry to make a change in scenery. He hits pause on His own activity so that He can process what is happening and readjust His strategy as may be needed. A solitary place allows that Jesus can cry out to the Father. Uninterrupted, He can pour out his grief, anger and frustration, knowing that the Father patiently accepts all our emotion, and graciously speaks to our souls in our distress. The Father’s arms are open, and Jesus runs right into them. It should not surprise us that He does that. Just as John’s disciples could run to Jesus after John was killed, Jesus can run to the Father. When we experience those sudden and unexpected turns, turning to God is our best and only true option.
The Psalms model this for us. As a man after God’s own heart, David cried out to God every time he was in distress. In Psalm 31 we read, “Be merciful to me, O Lord, for I am in distress; my eyes grow weak with sorrow, my soul and my body with grief. My life is consumed by anguish and my years by groaning; my strength fails because of my affliction, and my bones grow weak.”
In Psalm 10 we read, “But you, O God, do see trouble and grief; you consider it to take it in hand. The victim commits himself to you; you are the helper of the fatherless.”
In Psalm 6 David wrote, “I am worn out from groaning; all night long I flood my bed with weeping and drench my couch with tears. My eyes grow weak with sorrow;” And in Psalm 119 he cried out, “My soul is weary with sorrow; strengthen me according to your word.”
When sorrow or trouble threaten to overwhelm us, we must quickly find a place where we can pray without interruption. A place we can unload our emotional scars and seek God’s face wholeheartedly. Where we can shout if we need to, cry if we need to, kneel or stand or lie prostrate if we need to. A place we can truly be ourselves in all our messiness. God is still God, no matter our emotional state. No matter our hurt or grief or sorrow. God is unfazed by sudden changes in our plans. He is still sovereign. He is able to comfort, to console and to direct and inform us appropriately. If we make Him our priority, He will provide exactly the kind of help we need. The hurting soul is always best to remember Jesus’ words, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness!” Amen.
It is characteristic of human nature to turn to God only after every other avenue of help has been explored and been found useless. This is one of the many evils which sin has visited upon us—the bent to look everywhere for aid but in the right place, and if we do look in the right place, to look there last.
A.W. Tozer
APPLICATION: Intentionality
God is here, available and welcoming, no matter our state of mind. Let us cry out to Him in prayer.