Have you ever been alone with God?

“When He was alone the twelve . . . asked of Him . . .” Mark 4:10

His Solitude with Us. “When God gets us alone by affliction, heartbreak, or temptation, by disappointment, sickness, or by thwarted affection, by a broken friendship, or by a new friendship – when He gets us absolutely alone, and we are dumbfounded, and cannot ask one question, then He begins to expound (or teach us).

There are whole tracts (vast areas) of stubbornness and ignorance to be revealed by the Holy Spirit in each one of us, and it can only be done when Jesus gets us alone.  Am I alone with Him now? Or am I more concerned with my own ideas, friendships, and cares for my body? Jesus cannot teach me anything until I quiet all my intellectual questions and get alone with Him.” – taken from My Utmost for His Highest, Jan. 13.

Very pointed question: I ask myself, “Have I ever been alone with God?” Yes, I have, but not as often as I’d like. Interesting that suffering, heartbreak, temptation, disappointment, sickness, thwarted desires, a broken friendship, or a new friendship sends us back into the arms of God. Why is it that I need a major trauma to cause me to look in God’s direction? Why can’t I just go to Him first and foremost and skip all the in-between stops?

Prayer: Forgive me, God, for not running to you first when I have a problem or a question. There’s much stubbornness and ignorance inside of me. Only you, and time alone with you, can answer my many questions and shape me into a suitable servant of yours. Help me to be more open to spending valuable time alone with you.

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