But I will win her back once again. I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her there... I will make you my wife forever, showing you righteousness and justice, unfailing love and compassion. I will be faithful to you and make you mine, and you will finally know me as the LORD." -Hosea 2:14, 19-20
The above verses are an incredible picture of the intimacy God wants with us. Right after promising judgment on Israel's unfaithfulness, the amazing heart of God outshines even that to reveal His desire for her. One thing that stands out is the place God intends to show His most intimate side, the wilderness. A place of barrenness, no human interaction or other distractions.
What does this tell us about our pursuit of His Majesty? It tells us that oftentimes, it is spiritually healthy and vital for us to get away from it all and spend alone time with our Savior. There is a communion and a refreshing and a closeness with God that He only wants us to experience when the things of our world are set aside so that His presence is the only substantial thing we can focus on. There are things on the Father's heart that can be entrusted to us and shared with us if He knows we are passionate enough about Him that we will leave our 'everyday' and chase after Him, even in a dry place.
There is a park just north of 1604 that is just trails, hills and nature. I go there as often as I can to literally walk with God and pray and worship. This nature park quickly became my favorite place to pray and it is where prayer for me is the most exciting and enriching. I feel His presence, bear my soul, sing His praise, intercede for others and meditate on His wonders in ways I can't even do in church sometimes. There is just something about being out in creation with Christ that is unparalleled by most other experiences with God. After doing this for a long time, it is easy to see why Jesus Himself retreated often to a solitary place to commune with the Father.
Even if you are not the outdoorsy type, you can only benefit from finding that solitary place for yourself, where you can have mini-retreats with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit that are deeply personal and awe inspiring. Develop the habit of occasionally getting away from work, school, family, friends and even the Christian environment and allow God to lead you in the desert to the depths of His heart. Let the Lord be tender with you, and if you're like me, you will come to look forward to these times with expectation and longing. This will be one spiritual discipline that will breathe life into the other disciplines as well as all aspects of your life.
TREASURE MAP:
Mark 1:35-36, Deut. 1:29-31, Deut. 8:2-10, Deut. 32:10-14, Ps. 63:1-6, Is. 43:19, Is. 51:3, Luke 5: 15-16
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