Alone With God
To be effective in ministry and service, we must first prepare ourselves through aloneness with God, meditation, and quietness.
A.W. Tozer emphasizes the necessity of solitude with God, illustrating how Jesus withdrew to a mountainside to be alone with His disciples before performing miracles. He argues that true spiritual learning often requires moments of silence and inactivity, away from the distractions of others. Tozer suggests that our religious activities should be preceded by a time of aloneness to be spiritually charged and prepared for action. He highlights that Jesus was ready for the people because He had taken the time to meditate and connect with God. The sermon encourages believers to seek quiet moments with God to be filled with His Spirit before engaging with the world.
Text
And Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He sat with His disciples. --John 6:3
Just prior to this miraculous multiplying of the bread and fish, Jesus "went up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples"(6:3). That fact is noteworthy. It seems plain that Jesus withdrew purposely from the great press of people who had been pursuing Him.
There are some things that you and I will never learn when others are present. I believe in church and I love the fellowship of the assembly. There is much we can learn when we come together on Sundays and sit among the saints. But there are certain things that you and I will never learn in the presence of other people.
Unquestionably, part of our failure today is religious activity that is not preceded by aloneness, by inactivity. I mean getting alone with God and waiting in silence and quietness until we are charged with God's Spirit. Then, when we act, our activity really amounts to something because we have been prepared by God for it....
Now, in the case of our Lord, the people came to Him, John reports, and He was ready for them. He had been quiet and silent. He had sat alone with His disciples and meditated. Looking upward, He waited until the whole hiatus of divine life moved down from the throne of God into His own soul. He was a violin tuned. He was a battery recharged. He was poised and prepared for the people when they came. Faith Beyond Reason, 130,133. "Lord, I'll spend a lot of time in the company of people today, but just now I come in quietness and silence to wait for You to fill me. Amen."
Sermon Outline
- The Importance of Aloneness with God
- The Necessity of Inactivity and Silence
- The Result of Being Prepared by God
- Being poised and prepared for ministry and service
- The importance of faith and trust in God's Spirit
Key Quotes
“He had sat alone with His disciples and meditated. Looking upward, He waited until the whole hiatus of divine life moved down from the throne of God into His own soul.” — A.W. Tozer
“Lord, I'll spend a lot of time in the company of people today, but just now I come in quietness and silence to wait for You to fill me. Amen.” — A.W. Tozer
Application Points
- Make time to get alone with God and wait in silence and quietness for His Spirit to prepare you for ministry and service.
- Trust in God's Spirit and have faith that He will prepare you for the tasks ahead.
- Prioritize spiritual preparation and make it a regular part of your routine.