The Heart and Body of Solitude - Tim Wade

“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. Simon and his companions went to look for him, and when they found him, they exclaimed: ‘Everyone is looking for you!’” Mark 1:35-37

Years ago I worked for a company where I was on call twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Time off from work was rare and a vacation was all but impossible. Less than a year later I traded that job for a career as a truckdriver where I spent more time away from home, but knew that my days off belonged to me. Then, eight years later, I traded my truck-driving career in for a career in the ministry. Suddenly I had no time off.

After eight years in the ministry I crashed. Spiritually I was a train wreck while emotionally I was extremely fragile. My body fared no better. My blood pressure and cholesterol became elevated for the first time in my life, and I was nearly one hundred pounds overweight! It was only when I arrived at the brink of self destruction that I picked up my Bible and looked to Jesus for an answer to my bloated, stressed-out life.

Like me, Jesus held a job that required him to be on call twenty-four hours a day, seven days each week. Always at the center of someone’s attention, he was a man under constant pressure and scrutiny. Forever being criticized and being forced to defend himself, Jesus was a man whose blood pressure should have been through the roof.

And yet, while Jesus lived in a stress-filled world, the stress-filled world did not live in him. Daily, Jesus removed himself from the stress of his job and escaped to a place of solitude where he and his Father could spend time alone. He went to a place where peace flowed like milk and honey, a place where he would drink deep and eat plenty, and return to work filled with strength, endued with power, and overflowing with love.

Today, mindful of what stress can do to the body, I try to follow the example of Jesus and seek out a quiet place where the pressures of this world can touch neither mind, nor soul, nor body. Leaving the cares of the world behind, I escape to a solitary place, sit at the feet of my Father, and worship a Holy God.

Seek Him for the relief of stress that can only be found in His arms.

Tim Wade is married to Shannon and is the father to four daughters and one son. A former college pastor and current part time teacher of grades K5-12 in a private Christian school, Tim has a heart for kids, loves to teach the Bible, and has a passion for learning. Tim has degrees in Religion and Divinity and has written for DeeperDevotion Magazine, Focus on the Family’s Clubhouse Magazine, and is the author of http://www.timwade.wordpress.com

The Spirit and Heart of Solitude - Tim Wade

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:21

It was a typical storybook romance. We fell in love from the moment we met, and for the next six months spent every spare minute of time together. We talked intimately about every subject imaginable, sharing both our joys and our sorrows. With each passing day we grew closer and closer together, forming a bond that we continue to share to this day. When I asked her to marry me, I knew I was asking my best friend to spend the rest of her life with me.

I have shared the tale of my storybook romance with hundreds, if not thousands of people. When I do, someone always smiles or laughs when I mention falling asleep on the telephone at 3:00 AM, or playing the “goodbye game” because neither person wants to be the first to hang up. Silly as it all may seem, every member of the audience who has ever fallen in love relates to the story in some way because they know what its like to lose sleep in the name of romance and intimacy.

And yet for some reason very few people in that audience can tell you what it feels like to fall in love with God. How can this be? How can two people willing to spend a lifetime together spend every waking moment getting to know each other, but spend almost no time with the Sovereign Lord with whom they expect to spend eternity?

But in all fairness, it’s more than just two people seeking a romantic interlude. It is career-minded men and women who spend hours at work chasing, money, power, even social status who would rather read a corporate report than read the Report of the Lord. It is children who play video games for hours on end, but are not taught to spend five minutes in prayer. And yes, it is also lovers who are willing to spend hours getting to know one another, but unwilling to spend ten minutes in solitude with God, getting to know Him in a way that is personal and intimate.

Take time to know the Father who already knows your heart intimately. There is great satisfaction in His love.

Tim Wade is married to Shannon and is the father of four daughters and one son. A former college pastor and current part time teacher of grades K5-12 in a private Christian school, Tim has a heart for kids, loves to teach the Bible, and has a passion for learning. Tim has degrees in Religion and Divinity and has written for DeeperDevotion Magazine, Focus on the Family’s Clubhouse Magazine, and is the author of TimWade.com (www.timwade.wordpress.com).