Solutions February 2017 | Page 67

Have you ever considered taking a simple day away to unplug from stress and recharge your soul? Sounds delicious, right?
Taking a personal retreat, a / k / a a“ Getaway with God,” is just that. Stepping aside for a day or more to deeply rest, listen to God, and plan your next steps( or years) can have the same effect on your soul as plugging your smart phone in for a long charge.
If you’ re like most folks, your first question is along the lines of,“ What do you do on a retreat by yourself?” That was my question forty years ago, as I scheduled my initial personal retreat. If you are looking for one quick answer, you might be disappointed, but if you would like to see the“ retreat menu” before you order, keep on reading.
Just as God has uniquely designed each of us, He will help you design a getaway with Him that will have your name all over it. A lot of the details and structure depends on our personality or season of life. What fits one season might not be as life-giving in another. What suits one friend’ s personality might not fit yours. Let me offer you a few themes to choose from.
A Rest & Restoration Retreat:
A retreat offers time away to spend with God as well as a time for deep rest. A restorative retreat is often chosen by moms in the season of having young children. I often called this season the“ Blur Years.” Of course, it is hard to get away from young children for any length of time because there is always one more thing to do. Often times, you may just be too tired to even think about it.
Not a mom? This type of retreat works for anyone who needs rest and restoration, which describes most of us at some time or another, maybe you right now. This type of retreat focuses on building back up and will likely include napping, eating nutritiously, drinking lots of water, and simply preparing to experience the favor of the Lord without doing much else.
In case you are still wondering if resting counts as a real retreat, take a look at the story of the prophet, Elijah, in 1 Kings 19:5-8. After one of the most triumphant( as well as trying) points in his ministry, Elijah is full of self-doubt and doomsday thinking, crying out,“ I have had enough, Lord!”
He then crashes into a long nap until awakened by an angel who offers him food and drink. Elijah eats the catered bread, drinks the water and falls back to sleep. Once again, the angel wakes him with more food and water. Then,“ Strengthened by the food,” he is ready to resume the next thing on God’ s to-do list for him.
Doesn’ t it seem possible God might want to offer you something similar for your weariness?
A Listening Retreat: Will God speak to me?
Most of us can easily pull out a list of things we would like to hear God’ s opinion or direction on in our lives. From reading Scripture, it seems like God had a lot to say to His people back then. What about now? I believe He still wants to communicate with us each day. We need time and space to listen.
Sometimes the Biblical message was for a large group of people such as the words of the prophets to the nation, and other times it was more intimate. Think about the comforting
SMG Solutions 67