Contemplation (From the Ashes 3)

Luke 5:16 “But Jesus often withdrew to the wilderness for prayer.”

Mark 1:35 “Before daybreak the next morning, Jesus got up and went out to an isolated place to pray.”

Opening

Ask everyone to stand up for one minute with eyes closed. When you think that one minute is up, sit down.

Record who gets it right

I want to talk to you about a dirty word

It is a word that has crept into our vocabulary and is used way too often

It is a word that even has found its way into the homes of God fearing people like you and me

It is a word that has four letters and has the potential to do great damage to our lives

It is the word… — are you ready?

It’s the word: BUSY

Just keep that word in the back of your mind for now

Welcome to week 3 of our series “From the Ashes”

This is a six-week journey to Resurrection Sunday

It is a time of preparation

Week 1 - Temptation

Week 2 - Humility (last week)

We have been looking to Jesus as our example

There are many great examples of people that we could follow, but none of them are as good as our Lord, Jesus.

Today we want to take a queue from the Master and learn about a very powerful habit — it is the practice of CONTEMPLATION (ALSO KNOWN AS A QUIET TIME), SOLITUDE, SILENCE

Now when I talk about quiet time or a time of contemplation I am not talking about some kind of transcendental meditative state brought on by drugs or an eastern yoga pose where one chants for 30 minutes. I am talking about getting away and being alone with God.

We live in a world that is going 1000 miles per hour; it is face-paced and demanding but if you notice Jesus was never in a hurry.

How many of you would say, “I want to be more devoted and have a prayer life that is powerful and brings purpose to my life as well as others? I think we would all say “Yes” to that!

An issue that many of us face is the busy life . We are overstimulated!

This seriously affects our ability to slow down, recenter and get true focus.

It is hard to be still! Many of us had a hard time focusing and correctly judging what 1 minute was.

Who doesn't want a powerful and purposeful prayer life?

Who doesn't want to grow in Christ and be an effective disciple?

I read this the other day and was floored. Listen to what Pastor Chuck Swindoll wrote in his devotional:

Distance from God is a frightening thing. God will never adjust His agenda to fit ours. He will not speed His pace to catch up with ours; we need to slow our pace in order to recover our walk with Him. God will not scream and shout over the noisy clamor; He expects us to seek quietness, where His still, small voice can be heard again. God will not work within the framework of our complicated schedules; we must adapt to His style. We need to conform to His way if our lives are to be characterized by the all-encompassing word: godliness. (Swindoll, Chuck, Insight for Living Daily Devotional, Returning to Discipline, March 11, 2026)

There are several questions that come to mind concerning developing a quiet time:

Why (1st Question)

Jesus spent time alone (REASON #1)

Luke 5:16 “But Jesus often withdrew to the wilderness for prayer.”

In this particular passage, Jesus had been doing a full day of ministry

He had been at the Sea of Galilee and picked His disciples (Verses 1:11)

He healed a man with leprosy (Verses 12-15)

We talked last week about this thing about Jesus being both human and deity

The theological term is hypostatic-union, it means two natures in one

When Jesus was healing the leper - that is deity

When Jesus was hungry - that was human

When demons recognized him - that was deity

When Jesus fasted — that was human

Jesus hurt, got hungry and ate real food, had emotions, cried and got mad.

When He died on the cross — that was human

He had to do so He could be familiar with our pain

So, Jesus needed time to get alone with the Father

If Jesus needed time alone to pray, you need time alone to pray (nothing wrong with community prayer) (THIS IS A TIME TO PLUG THE COMMUNITY PRAYER SERVICE - THIS THURSDAY AT REMEMBER THE CROSS, 7PM)

Jesus spent time alone and every person who has ever been effective in service for God spent time alone with God. — Abraham, Moses, David, Daniel, Paul, and many others

Many of the great Christian leaders of the last 2000 years spent time alone

The great priest and theologian Martin Luther thought that the monastic lifestyle was the only way he could escape the judgement of God (his motivation may have been off, but there were definite benefits from his choice) (WE JUST DISCUSSED THIS WEDNESDAY NIGHT)

I remember visiting the Alpha y Omega Casa Hogar orphanage in Poza Rica Mexico

Elias and Teresa Herrera founded it (It is now run by Obed & Jasmine Herrera, trained dentists)

They started because they saw children being dropped off under a bridge by the highway

no one was looking after them or caring for them

God put it on their heart and without any funding, they took them in and cared for them and started the orphanage

They struggled to make ends meet but God always provided

They have seen God move in mighty ways, growing children into thriving adults who some come back to work and others go to college and impact society greatly - now the government brings needy children to them because they recognize what an impact they make — or should I say what an impact God is making!!!

When I was there I had the privilege to get selected for a detail that was going to go put in some cabinets for a little house on the orange farm. We road on the back of a pickup truck through the city and then through some county towns for a good while and then came to some farm land where we stopped and opened up some gate on the side of a mountain and then traveled some more finally reaching this beautiful orange grove with a bunch of chickens and turkeys running around. There was a little shack there where the family who ran the farm lived. Maggie Moos looks like the Hilton compared to this place but the countryside was something to behold. I looked up the hill and saw a tent. I asked one of the team members who had been here multiple times what that was. He told me that was where Bro. Elias would go and spend time with the Lord. He would pray and fast and seek God for favor and next steps for the children. It was his Bethel, house of God. (I feel the Lord as I type this out). (Thank you Jesus for allowing me to witness this.)

Pastor Justin Drawdy (New Life, Jesup) gets away every once in a while for a few days (Fasting and praying)

As Christians, we need time alone with God

There are spiritual benefits

There are physiological benefits (our bodies need to recover)

There are emotional benefits (we need to have peace, silence and some solitude in a chaotic world)

Not only do we have examples but we have instruction too. (REASON #2)

The Bible has a lot to say about stillness

Psalm 46:10 ““Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world.””

Psalm 27:8 “My heart has heard you say, “Come and talk with me.” And my heart responds, “Lord, I am coming.””

Psalm 62:1 “I wait quietly before God, for my victory comes from him.”

Isaiah 26:3 “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!”

Isaiah 30:15 “This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: “Only in returning to me and resting in me will you be saved. In quietness and confidence is your strength. But you would have none of it.”

Isaiah 40:31 MSG

But those who wait upon God get fresh strength. They spread their wings and soar like eagles, They run and don’t get tired, they walk and don’t lag behind.

Not only did Jesus and other great examples spend time alone with God, and we have had instruction to pray, but God payed a mighty high price for us to be able to have conversation with Him. (REASON #3)

1 Peter 1:18–19 “For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And it was not paid with mere gold or silver, which lose their value. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God.”

It is clear that God wants us to have time where we have silence and solitude - alone with Him.

Purpose (2nd Question) What is the Purpose?

Give Devotion to God (1) (THIS SHOULD BE OUR MAIN REASON) (THIS HIT ME VERY HARD THROUGH THE NIGHT DURING MY SLEEP)

Psalm 29:2 “Honor the Lord for the glory of his name. Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness.”

Matthew 22:36–38 ““Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?” Jesus replied, “ ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.”

God deserves our devotion — He also desires it.

Revelation 4:11 ““You are worthy, O Lord our God, to receive glory and honor and power. For you created all things, and they exist because you created what you pleased.””

John 4:23 “But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way.”

To Get Direction from God (2nd purpose)

Psalm 25:4 “Show me the right path, O Lord; point out the road for me to follow.”

Two things here:

Consider your way — Proverbs 3:6 “Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.”

Commit your day — Psalm 37:5 “Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him, and he will help you.”

To Take Delight in God (3rd purpose)

Psalm 37:4 “Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires.”

EXAMPLE: delighting in a Krispy Kreme donut

To Grow Daily Like God (4th purpose)

2 Peter 1:3–4 “By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.”

2 Corinthians 3:18 “So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.”

How (3rd Question)—How do I do it? What are the mechanics?

When Jesus withdrew into the wilderness, what did he do?

Did he recite the psalms ?

Did he prophesy over his disciples and the people of Israel?

Did he tell God all that he needed?

I think it is quite possible that he did all that.

But I also think He sat there with the Father and with His thoughts and listened. He practiced the spiritual disciplines of silence and solitude

He listened to the wind blow, the sea swell, the birds chirp and the Father speak

With so much noise around, we need to be able to shut it all out and get quiet

So what are the mechanics, how does it work?

Set a time - morning if possible

Bible characters

Start of your day

God has priority

Your’e rested

Be consistent

15 min increments — increase (YOU MAY HAVE TO SET A TIMER) (REMEMBER THE EXPERIMENT)

Don’t watch clock (LET THE ALARM GO OFF)

Quality over quantity

Set a location

Try to have a regular place

Have resources

Bible

Notebook

Songbook

Have the right attitude

Get still

Be open to discoveries

Be willing to obey the Scripture

Closing

Prayer, a quiet time, alone with God is too important to miss.

You need it,

you can’t grow without it

and you will get so much more out of life when you start out your day prioritizing your time with God.

I hope you will be encouraged to start a daily quiet time.

If you are already doing this, I hope you will be encouraged to continue and enjoy your time with the Lord.

Altar

Pray for people to receive Jesus

Pray for people to get focused on Jesus (the most important thing)

Pray for restless minds, anxious hearts (GOD SHOWED ME MACEE/WHITLEY)

Pray for people to receive God’s rest (GOD SHOWED ME SIS NANCY) I also see Scotty…