This past weekend we put together a small retreat. We had heard of this place in this country run by some Coptic priests. Our team all was excited to join us and we headed up for two days away. It was a simple time of just seeking our Savior.
I think I will let some of our photos speak for themselves and some of the verses and wisdom we were meditating on corporately hopefully they will bless speak to you as you take in the beauty. Each day we spent time in corporate worship, focused meditation and prayer and study of 1 John together. The entire place was based of old Bedouin monasteries and was a working farm. Simplicity was a huge part of the blessing of the weekend, even sweating in the heat and enjoying the cooler air of the evenings.
God spoke to each of us in different ways, conviction, encouragement and whispers of continued endurance. We learned more of Him for worshiping and studying together. It was simple to plan, we found a location and structured the entire weekend around simply allowing margin of little scheduling in order to listen to God.
J– and I walked away with a profound realization of how different it is to get away on a holiday vs a time to just listen to God, even with our kids. It was an honor to meet God in this beautiful haven and in this season of so much unknown as to what lies ahead for us, so much turmoil in our hearts as we mourn for the sadness occurring in South Sudan, so much uncertainty about what lies ahead and the path to travel, what joy to be reminded in stillness that our rest and confidence is knowing God and not what lies ahead, our plans, our hopes or our certainties. I know we will be seeking out simple solitude as a family on a more regular basis.
May you be blessed by the simple beauty and encouraged to find the Lord in stillness wherever this finds you.
“Deep calls to deep at the sound of Your waterfalls; All Your breakers and Your waves have rolled over me. The Lord will command His loving kindess in the daytime; And His song will be with me, in the night, A prayer to the God of my life.
-Ps 43:7-8
“Solitude is the garden for our hearts, which yearn for love. It is the place where our aloneness can bear fruit. It is the home for our restless bodies and anxious minds. Solitude, whether connected with a physical space or not, is essential for our spiritual lives. It is not an easy place to be, since we are so insecure and fearful that we are easily distracted by by whatever promises immediate satisfaction. Solitude is not immediately satisfying, because in solitude we meet our demons, our addictions, our feelings of lust and anger, and our immense need for recognition and approval. But if we do not run away, we will meet there also the One who says, “Do not be afraid. I am with you, and will guide you through the valley of darkness.” Let’s keep returning to our solitude.”
-Henry Nouwen
“He makes my feet like hinds feet, And sets me upon my high places. He trains my hands for battle so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You have also given me the shield of Your salvation, And Your right hand upholds me; And your gentleness makes me great. You enlarge my steps under me, And my feet have not slipped.
-Psalm 18:33-36
“Meditation is the activity of calling to mind, and thinking over, and dwelling on, and applying to oneself, the various things that one knows about the works and ways and purposes and promises of God. It is an activity of holy thought, consciously performed int he presence of God, under the eye of God, by the help of God, as a means of communion with God.”
-J.I. Packer
“Though the fig tree should not blossom And there be no fruit on the vines, Though the yield of the olive should fail and the the fields produce no food, Though the flock should be cut off from the fold and there be no cattle in the stalls, Yet I will exult in the lord, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation. The Lord is my strength, and He has made my feet like hinds’ feet, And makes me walk on my high places.”
-Hab 3:17-19
“And prayer is the turning away from ourselves to God int he confidence that he will provide the help we need. Prayer humbles us as needy, and exalts God as wealthy.”
-John Piper
“Wait on the Lord” is a constant refrain in the Psalms, and it is a necessary word, for God often keeps us waiting. He is not in such a hurry as we are, and it is not his way to give more light on the future than we need for action in the present, or to guide us more than one step at a time. When in a doubt, do nothing, but continue to wait on God. When action is needed, light will come.”
-J.I. Packer
