and, as was his custom, dwelling in hidden places or more remotely in the wilderness so that he might, with his mind wholly free from disquieting cares, devote himself to prayer, and might be ready for every religious thought.

- The Monk Jonas, Life of St. Columban (Italian, 7th century)

In these days he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God.

- Luke 6.12

Here is a discipline the benefit of which yet eludes me. And that's because the time I'm willing to invest in this eludes me as well. I am simply too busy to take the extended time that Jesus and Columbanus did to wait on the Lord in solitude. And that's simply too busy.

The times when I have managed this - for an afternoon or so - I have always found to be rich and rewarding. Not only are the meditations on King Jesus sweet and lifting, but the many unexpected insights and spiritual thoughts that waft across my mind have been most welcome, and some have led to productive labor afterwards.

We often read reports of Celtic Christian saints and peregrini retiring from the company of their colleagues and the work of ministry for times of extended retreat into the Lord. Cuthbert was renowned for isolating himself on a little island off the coast from Lindisfarne, where the tide would separate him from others while he waited on the Lord. Columba, Kevin, Brendan, and others all had their seasons of waiting in solitude on the Lord.

In my regimen of spiritual disciplines I need to find room for this practice on a more regular basis. The pace of our culture and the demands of work militate against such a regular practice, but that's no excuse. That's simply to say that I'm allowing my faith to be shaped by my culture, rather than the other way around.

It will take planning and discipline to set work aside for a season, and that on a regular basis, so that I might rediscover the renewal of perspective and strength which getting away with the Lord can provide. We can do this, though, friends, and, with the Lord as our example and destination, we can certainly expect to know great blessing if we will.

Exercise for the Month: Don't be shy about reaching out to the people you've been praying for and telling them so. And ask for a request while you're at it.

Today in ReVision: Rights and Wisdom - Cut him some slack, the President just doesn't know. How could He?

This Week's Download: Impact and Understanding of the Bible: A Questionnaire

New content under Kingdom Civics and Every Thought Captive for this week. Check it out. After all, who'd have thought to find Ghengis Khan on a Celtic Christian website?

Thursday night: Revival Prayer! If you want to join, send me an email, and I'll see to it you get the handout and call-in information.

T. M. Moore, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.