What does the Bible say about Retreats?

With the grind of everyday life constantly staring at us, always asking for just a bit more, how can we even think of pausing and going on retreat? What does the Bible say about retreats? Let’s look to Jesus.

Fully God, fully man, Jesus made a practice of spending nights alone with the Father. Jesus, the One who did NOTHING on his own initiative, still needed to step away. He through whom power flowed so strongly that a word, a touch, healed and saved—he set times to retreat. Why? What was happening?  

When Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert, totally alone, isolated, tested beyond human limits, his body frail—I can only imagine. His heart must have been at the very edge of what it could take. The angels came to him. They came to minister to One who needed them. Might those ministrations be available to you or me? I know I have experienced barren seasons, times full of struggle, and temptations so alluring I feel like I might rip apart. Could it be that there is a special restoration waiting for us? Might we need only to take the time to receive it?

In Matthew 17 Jesus takes Peter, James, and John up on a mountain. It’s just the four of them. There the three disciples saw the glory of God break through the human plane. A supernatural revelation was shown to them. Then, a voice from the clouds! The Holy One, God Almighty allowed his voice to be heard by mere mortals. The time set apart to commune with Jesus resulted in an extravagant show of honor. Can this be for us too? Are there revelations waiting to break through?

In the garden, Jesus asks his disciples to pray. He then leaves them. He doesn’t lead their prayer time. He doesn’t ask them to lay hands on him. He gives them their task and then steps away. He separates himself and then has the most vulnerable and raw struggle he’s ever had. His focus is laser sharp. He’s not attending to the disciples or societal expectations. He lays himself bare before the Father, pours out his heart, and is able to ultimately accept the Father’s plan and become the Lamb. Do you have something that needs this level of attention? Something so heavy you can hardly let yourself bring it to mind. Do you need the space to be completely honest with your heart? Do you need to fall on your face in full surrender and submit to the Father’s will?

No one has been more in tune with the Father than Jesus. No one has had the Father’s mind and will so clear. But still, there were things for them to talk about. Still, the Bible says that Jesus needed to retreat.

Even when Jesus knew the path laid out, he took the time to draw away. Jesus needed to retreat. So do I.

So do you.