By Andrew Williams
Series: The Year of the Prophet- Month 3: The School of the Wilderness (Preparation)
Week 10: The Purpose of Hiddenness (The “Cherith” Phase)
Anchor Scripture: “So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed.” — Luke 5:16 (NKJV)
The Teaching
As we conclude our first week in the School of the Wilderness, we must look at the highest model for the prophetic office: Jesus Christ. While we often focus on the forty days Jesus spent in the desert at the beginning of His ministry, Luke 5 reveals a much more profound truth. Even after His ministry had exploded, even when the crowds were pressing in and the miracles were flowing, Jesus “often withdrew” into the wilderness.
The Greek word for “withdrew” is chōreō, which suggests a deliberate pulling back or making room. Jesus understood that the noise of the crowd, the demands of the needy, and the flattery of the public were “drains” on the spiritual vessel. He didn’t just go to the wilderness once to get “certified”; He went to the wilderness habitually to stay “connected.”
For the Prophet, the “Solitary Place” is a spiritual reset. It is a refusal to be defined by the expectations of people. If the crowds had their way, they would have made Jesus a King on their own terms. If the Pharisees had their way, they would have made Him a religious academic. Jesus escaped to the desert to remind His soul that He was only defined by the Voice of the Father. To follow Jesus into the desert is to choose Intimacy over Influence. You pull back from the very thing you were called to serve so that you don’t lose the Person you were called to represent.
Prophetic Insight
A Prophet who is always “available” to people will eventually have nothing to give them. If you don’t have a “Solitary Place” to withdraw to, you will eventually start speaking from your own fatigue rather than God’s fire. The desert is where you “de-clutter” your spirit. It’s where you shake off the opinions, the praises, and the criticisms of the people you met during the day. If Jesus—the perfect Son of God—needed to “often withdraw” to the wilderness to maintain His clarity, how much more do we? Never feel guilty for “disappearing” to be with God. Your public impact is protected by your private retreat.
The Activation
Identify your “Solitary Place”—it might be a park, a quiet room, or even just your car before you go into the house. Today, “withdraw” for 20 minutes. Don’t go there to “pray for others” or to “find a word.” Go there to “be” with Jesus. Imagine yourself walking away from the “crowd” of your responsibilities and sitting in the quiet with Him. Let Him “reset” your soul.
Daily Prayer: Lord Jesus, I thank You for the example of Your life. I thank You that You valued the wilderness even in the midst of Your greatest success. Forgive me for being so busy with Your work that I ignore Your presence. I choose to follow You into the solitary place today. I pull back from the demands of the world to make room for You. Renew my strength and clarify my hearing in the quiet of the desert. Amen.
