Purpose and Plans from the Desolate Place

  By: Lauren Thomas

After a busy, ministry-filled weekend, Jesus went away to a desolate place. There in the quiet and stillness, Jesus prayed. We read that there was a direct result of Jesus’ private encounter with His Father: purpose and plans.

 

35 And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed. 36 And Simon and those who were with him searched for him, 37 and they found him and said to him, “Everyone is looking for you.” 38 And he said to them, “Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out.”

Mark 1:35-38 ESV

 

When found by his friends, Jesus laid out the next step of His plan and gave a declaration of His purpose.

This all came from the desolate place. The Greek word translated “desolate place” also means an “uninhabited place.” It was a place away from distractions where Jesus could get alone with the Father. Today, some call this “quiet time” or the spiritual discipline of “silence and solitude.” This spiritual practice grows our relationship to the Father as we commune with Him. But specifically, going to the desolate place does for us something similar to what it did for Jesus: renews our sense of purpose, which often illuminates the next steps in God’s plans for us.

 

There are three things we should note about this passage and its application:

1. Just as Jesus went to the desolate place after a time of ministering, we need time to meet with God when we are busy with activity, with doing, or with serving others.
2. Just as Jesus went intentionally to the desolate place, we need to go purposely. Distractions and demands will always abound. Unless we go willfully, those demands and distractions can override our ability to commune with God.
3. Just as Jesus’ time with the Father resulted in declaration of purpose and plan, going to Him in the desolate place can cause us to regain a sense of purpose and show us the direction we should go.

 

When feeling spent, go to the desolate place.

 

When busy, go to the desolate place.

 

When doing, go to the desolate place.

 

When empty, go to the desolate place.

 

When confused, go to the desolate place.

 

When feeling a lack of purpose, go to the desolate place.

 

When feeling a lack of direction, go to the desolate place.

 

Reflection:

Have you experienced a renewed sense of purpose after getting alone with God? How can you recreate a “desolate place” to get alone with God? While God rarely shows us the whole plan, He often reveals the very next step. How have you found this to be true? What step is he revealing to you right now and how will you accomplish it?