Episode Transcript
PRAYER OF CONSECRATION
Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.
Jesus, I belong to you.
I lift up my heart to you.
I set my mind on you.
I fix my eyes on you.
I offer my body to you as a living sacrifice.
Jesus, we belong to you.
Praying in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, amen.
Exodus 15:27
Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs and seventy palm trees, and they camped there near the water.
CONSIDER THIS
“The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul” (Ps. 23:1–3a).
Elim looks a lot like Psalm 23 before there was Psalm 23.
Twelve springs and seventy palm trees.
Doesn’t that sound great? After all the trauma of Passover and the turmoil of the Red Sea, and the three days of walking without water, Elim looks like the ancient equivalent of the Four Seasons or the Ritz Carlton. What a relief and respite this must have been for those beleaguered Israelites. Twelve springs and seventy palm trees and making camp near the water.
God knows what we need, and he knows we regularly need retreat and refreshment. We tend to think of this as optional and even indulgent, but it is a requirement for a well-formed soul. Jesus often took his disciples away for a retreat of rest and refreshment, though as time wore on, it became very difficult for them to escape the constant need pressing in on them.
For the ten-plus years my family lived in Kentucky, I was blessed to live within a ninety-minute drive of a celebrated Trappist monastery, the Abbey of Gethsemane. About once every six weeks or so, I would drive over and spend a day walking the historic grounds, following the serpentine trail through the woods to the famed statues, chanting psalms with the monks, and otherwise pretending to be a good Catholic. They were days of attuning my hearing and seeing, and listening for fresh words from God. Without fail, as sure as I became still and quiet, I would sense the inner impression of God’s voice. It led me to this realization: if I hear from God every time I get still and quiet, he must always be speaking.
I’m asking myself why I decided to stop here at the end of Exodus 15 and devote an entire entry to this single verse denoting a rather unspectacular occasion. As I reflect more, it occurs to me that this is the point. Imagine the storytelling and the note comparisons and the remarkable remembrances of what God had done in their midst. This is what retreat is all about.
When was the last time you enjoyed such a time? For future reference, it is not some kind of indulgence, nor is it optional for a solid soul. Wilderness life demands it.
THE PRAYER FOR DELIVERANCE
Lord Jesus, you are my Deliverer.
Today, I want to simply hear your words of invitation to rest, as translated by our late friend, Eugene Peterson, from Matthew 11:
“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” (Matt. 11:28–30 The Message)
Yes, Lord, we hear your invitation to come to you. That's the deliverance we need today. We receive it and all it will lead to.
It will be for our good, for others' gain, and for your glory.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be. World without end, amen! Amen!
