Retreating for the Purpose of Pursuit Part 2

The Next Great Adventure

re·treat /rəˈtrēt/ | The act of withdrawing, as into safety or privacy; retirement; seclusion.

pur·suit /pərˈso͞ot/ | The action of following or pursuing someone or something.

re·treat | Mark 1:35 35And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed. (ESV)

pur·suit | To commune with His Father and prepare  for his ministry in Galilee

Life was going great.  The kids were manageable, family trips were fun, date nights were easy to come by, communication was easy, and then it happened.  My wife broached the subject one evening, and the conversation kind of went like this.

Laura | “You know, I was thinking, I am not done yet.”

Joshua | [I looked up at her] “Not done with what?”

Laura | [She twirled her fork in the spaghetti noodles] “I want another one.”

Joshua | [I picked up another piece of garlic bread, hoping that would solve her want, but just to clarify I asked] “Want another what?”

Laura | [Verbal Explosion] “I want another baby.”

Joshua | [I was wrong, the garlic toast did not appease her] “Ooooookay!?!?”

So it started, the next adventure in our lives as we prepared to extend our family with one more member and start over with diapers, sleepless nights, baby sitters that wouldn’t cut it (no more date nights), and communicating in baby talk. I knew, in this new adventure I needed to pursue God as He was pursuing me.  The hardest part was finding the time to retreat for the purpose of pursuit, but man was it important to find that time.

Jesus had many adventures in His ministry, but we see an example here of Jesus retreating from the house early in the morning, and pursing His Father in prayer.

Do you find yourself needing to retreat knowing that a great adventure is waiting for you?  Spend some time today emulating the character of Jesus.  Retreat for the purpose of pursuing the LORD today in the activities that you partake in. Let Him be your Strong Tower as you continue on your next great adventure.