"Come Ye Yourselves Apart"

by R.F. Lundwill, Vancouver B.C. | Category: General | Oct 1969

How busy the disciples were, "For there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat" (Mark 6.31). One wonders whether they would cast a quick glance at the Master, as they hurried and scurried about. There was nothing wrong in what they were doing. It is no sin to be very busy, but when it deprives us of moments with our Master, well, something really must be done. The Lord intervened. He decided they needed a rest; they must be drawn aside from the busy din, and be alone with Him.

Today, to be fully occupied is the rule, rather than the exception. The busy hum of life affects many Christians, and this is a spiritual misfortune. In the business field, Christians, usually reliable and sincere, are being drawn into a web of stress and strain. Work piles up, and one responsibility after another is added, until the earthly master is claiming much of the Christian's time, and the Lord and His things are pushed aside. Such an experience can also be that of those who have their own businesses. If we were asked of the Lord right now to come apart with Him and rest a while, what would be our answer? Would we say, "But Lord, I don't have the time. Give me a little more warning, so that I can get things in shape". If we are being drawn into this web, we might answer this way.

No doubt we really intend to submit to our heavenly Master's wishes, but what we need is an inward hunger to be alone with the Lord. Not just a hurried prayer and the speedy reading of a few verses of His word. We need to be literally alone, apart from the mundane humdrum existence of our busy lives, free from the tension of constant interruption and mental turmoil. Alone with the Lord - to read His word. slowly, so that we can assimilate it, and prayerfully meditate on what we read. Alone, to talk in uninterrupted silence with the Lord, rejoicing in communion with Him. Alone, to speak of those intimate subjects which we seldom mention before Him, subjects which are of great significance, and even matters which seem trivial. Nothing is too great or too trivial for the ears of our Lord.

Such an experience may be rare with us. Sometimes in times of stress and strain when it would seem that nothing would go right in our work, unless we were there to direct it, we may be struck down with a sickness which leaves us powerless. The Lord has stepped in, and we are laid aside. We should not be filled with dismay if such an experience overtake us. Let no bitterness arise in our hearts. There is a purpose in it. If God has brought it about, He who created the circumstance is also the Master of the situation. We should take full advantage of such experiences and accept them as from the Lord. This can be our time of rest.

There is much sickness and sadness among the Lord's people. There have been fatal accidents, and some of the saints survive to experience months of physical agony. There have been some who have been sick, and in pain for years, and the prayers of the saints seem to be unheeded. So many of God's dear ones bear a heavy load of sorrow. The Lord knows the reason.

Not now, but in the coming years,

It may be in the better land,

We'll read the meaning of our tears,

And there, some time, we'll understand.

Beloved, if the Lord has laid you aside, that you may be alone with Him, how marvellously will your heart be mellowed, that in your prayers you will take more time to pray on behalf of suffering saints.

Each opportunity to draw aside with the Lord provides golden moments which will enrich your soul beyond your realization. Do your utmost not to be ensnared by every wile of Satan, who in his diabolic mastery will endeavour to rob you of precious times with your Lord. Do your utmost to be master of your own time, so that in a systematic way, you can find time daily to share those priceless moments with your Lord.

R.F. Lundwill, Vancouver B.C. | Oct 1969
General