Midweek Devotion 21 August 2024

Reading

Luke 5:16

Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.

Devotion

Personal photo by the author

This week's art is a photo I took of Coronado Heights on a hill northwest of Lindsborg, KS, in 2014 during one of those cross-country drives that comes with changing duty stations and coasts in the Navy.  The castle-like shelter dates from the WPA in 1936.  Allegedly it is the spot or near the spot where, in 1541, the Spanish explorer, Francisco De Coronado, looked out across the prairie and abandoned his search for the seven cities of gold and turned back to his base in Mexico.  It strikes me as a lonely and desolate spot. 

I have an affinity for lonely and desolate places.  When I was a lad we would visit ruined castles and churches in the British Isles.  This was later supplemented by camping trips in the wilderness and canoeing and hiking expeditions.  Though I never went alone on these adventures, there were always ample opportunities for alone time--time to be by oneself and think.  In thinking I could wear myself out with myself and my challenges and find an inner emptiness.  In that emptiness, I found myself connecting to the earth, the sky, the water, the wind, and, sometimes, a transcendence so profound it could only be described as the sound of sheer silence (1 Kings 19:12).

I wonder if you, dear reader, are searching for something?  As Coronado searched for a city of gold, perhaps you are longing for something precious to be a part of your life?  Perhaps you aren't finding it? I wonder if perhaps it might be time to ponder the lonely and desolate spots of our lives as we pray?  Perhaps they can become a place where God meets us in a new way and brings us to a new home? 

Prayer

"Jesus, you are the still point in the turning world.  In the midst of challenging times, we long for the beauty of your stillness, our true home.  We long for deep connections with people we love.  We long for your Spirit to bring your fruit to us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  Loving God, you planted these longings in us.  Please meet us there." (prayer I copied in a journal from an author I've forgotten)