“The quieter you become, the more you can hear”

4 December. Day 4.

BUSY! That’s the best word to describe my day (yesterday) – and the reason this is only being written today, 5 December!

My daughter woke up with her eye swollen shut as a spider thought she was quite tasty and enjoyed a midnight feast on her face. Then we endured an hour and a half journey to work due to an accident on the highway. I currently work in the administration office at a school, so my morning consisted of seeing to all sorts of demands and finishing off for the year, before heading to a staff lunch after school closed for the summer holidays. My daughter, Cianna, was fortunate enough to have some time on the couch at her best friends home while I enjoyed our lunch. I was fortunate enough to have a quick tea and catch up with one of my favourite friends when collecting Cianna and then we headed to the pharmacy. The most phenomenal nursing sister took a look at her face and gave us the diagnosis. Definitely a midnight snack by an 8 legged foe! She gently and kindly applied some ointment with plasters and patched her up so delicately to ensure that scarring will not be evident. After settling our bill for her generous time, we dashed to the shop next door to get ice-cream cones for a dinner engagement we were attending. No cones in stock! URGH! Dash to the car, head up the hill towards home. Rush into another shop. CONES! YES! Pay at the till. Drive home. Unpack the car. Quickly apply some perfume and brush my teeth and head off again to our community group Christmas Dinner, to enjoy a lovely chilled evening with them. Head home again, and put Cianna to sleep. Plan to read Luke 4. Open my Bible. Fall asleep on the couch. PHEW!! What a day.

As you can already gather I did not get to read Luke 4, so when I woke up (late) this morning I grabbed my Bible and got into it and only right near the end of the passage did God reveal the part to share today, and how fitting it is.

Luke 4 verses 42-43

” And when it was day, he departed and went into a desolate place. And the people sought him and came to him, and would have kept him from leaving them, but he said to them, “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose.” ” ESV

” At daybreak, Jesus went to a place to be alone, but the people looked for him. When they found him, they tried to keep him from leaving. But Jesus said to them, ” I must tell the Good News about Gods kingdom to other towns too. This is why I was sent.”” ICB

So the words that were highlighted to me whilst reading these 2 verses are:

desolate  *   alone   *   purpose   *   why I was sent

In verse 40 it tells us that Jesus  “laid his hands on every one of them and healed them”. It does not give us the exact details or the precise numbers of people who were healed that evening, but lets just say it was a large crowd of people. I am sure after laying his hands on each and every person and seeing them come to healing, that he may have felt tired, perhaps weary, exhausted, empty, a little spent, maybe “finished” as we sometimes say. I know that I can relate to feeling rather tired and weary after a very busy 8 and a half weeks in a new job this term and I was completely exhausted after my run around day yesterday!

After a nights rest, the first thing Jesus chooses to do is go to “a desolate place” “to be alone”. He knew that he needed time out, he needed time to refresh, to rediscover maybe, to refuel and to remain on his purpose. We cannot carry on from a place of exhaustion. We cannot continue our day to day lives from a place of weariness or tiredness. We cannot just keep going. We need to choose to take some time out and go to “a desolate place” “to be alone” so that we can SEE again, so that we can HEAR again, so that we can KNOW again our purpose, as Jesus did and knew, “I was sent for this purpose” vs 43. And I don’t only mean our huge, dreamed of life purpose, I am referring to being purposeful with the very day ahead of us and the very next thing God wants us to do. The person he wants us to call or encourage, the friend he wants us to assist with their move to a new home, the family member he wants us to make a meal for. When we are consumed with busy-ness (and some days will be busy – that’s a reality) we can miss the moments to hear the promptings of the Holy Spirit and to be reminded of our purpose.

” The quieter you become, the more you can hear” (unknown)

Jesus also realised that he had more to accomplish and more to do, and so after an amazing time of healing the sick, he went to “be alone”. However, the people followed and asked him to please stay and please continue doing the wonderful things that they had seen and experienced. Jesus, in quiet confidence responds, “I must tell the Good News about Gods kingdom to other towns too. This is why I was sent.” Although the excitement and feeling of being needed is sometimes a nice one – it’s always lovely to be wanted isn’t it? – Jesus was sure of his purpose and the next thing he needed to do. He still needed to get to the other towns to tell the Good News about the Kingdom to those who had not yet heard. And in order to do this successfully and excellently, he needed time with His Father, in a quiet place, so he could hear his voice, be refreshed, be equipped and continue on his journey.

May I encourage us this advent season, as we prepare to celebrate the birth-day of our Lord Jesus Christ, to take some time to be quiet, to be alone, go to a desolate place, clear our plans for a day, and create space to hear more so that we can firstly know our purpose and then do that purpose effectively!