A Quiet Time, a Quiet Place (4)

A Quiet Time, a Quiet Place (4)

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John 18:2 (NASB) 2 “Now Judas also, who was betraying Him, knew the place, for Jesus had often met there with His disciples.”

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in your busy life do you have a quiet time and a quiet place where consistently, day by day, you can spend time in prayer with the Lord? Is that time and place so firmly established that, as in the case of Jesus or in the case of Daniel years earlier, a plot for your life could be built upon the common knowledge that at a specific time you can be found praying in a specific place?

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Quiet places where we spend quiet times will be places and times of intimate communion with God.

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Conflict

Conflict is inescapable, but some handle it better than others. Individuals who maintain a calm disposition in the midst of difficult circumstances shine like bright stars against the dark horizon of chaos and confusion. Who are these people? They are those who find strength for their conflicts in quiet times of Bible reading and prayer. When asked the secret of a successful, long-term ministry, E. F. “Preacher” Hallock, then pastor of First Baptist Church in Norman, Oklahoma, responded, “Fight every battle on your knees.”

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Some people are under the misconception that conflict always indicates you are out of God’s will. But that is certainly not the case. Moses would rarely have won a popularity contest. He went from one conflict to another, and yet, with few exceptions, he remained in the center of God’s will as he led the children of Israel out of Egypt and on to the border of the Promised Land. During His earthly ministry Jesus frequently faced opposition that ultimately nailed Him to the cross. Obviously, He was always in the center of God’s will.

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Some believe the greatest struggle surrounding Christ’s crucifixion took place not on the cross but in the Garden of Gethsemane. Luke’s vivid account of the physical struggle that took place in the garden is most enlightening.

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Luke 22:39-44 (NASB) 39 “And He came out and proceeded as was His custom to the Mount of Olives; and the disciples also followed Him. 40 When He arrived at the place, He said to them, "Pray that you may not enter into temptation." 41 And He withdrew from them about a stone's throw, and He knelt down and began to pray, 42 saying, "Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done." 43 Now an angel from heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him. 44 And being in agony He was praying very fervently; and His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground.”

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Physicians tell us that Jesus was experiencing hematadrosis, a physiological condition in which the capillary action of the blood changes to such an extent that clots of blood emerge through the pores of one’s body. This occurs only when people are under severe stress. This was clearly a time of immense struggle for our Lord.

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Jesus knew He would soon be arrested and falsely accused. His beard would be pulled from His battered and bruised face. A crown of thorns would pierce His scalp and scrape against His skull. Professional scourgers would beat Him with strips of leather embedded with pieces of metal and glass. They would literally beat Him within an inch of His life, a practice that frequently left visceral organs exposed through gaping wounds in the body. After carrying His cross to Golgotha, our Lord would be stretched out upon it, and heavy spikes would be driven through His extremities. His bones would be ripped from their joints as the cross was lifted up and suddenly dropped into a socket in the ground.

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Crucifixion was the most excruciating means of execution ever devised by sinful man. If the person did not die from infection or loss of blood, he would gradually drown in the fluids of his own body. Able to inhale but not exhale, the chest cavity would gradually fill up with fluid. That explains why blood mixed with water flowed from the wound when the soldier pierced Jesus’ side. Calvary was not a beautiful green hill. It was a filthy, foul-smelling place where the dogs prowled, the worms crawled, the flies swarmed, the crowd jeered, soldiers cursed, and the crucified screamed in agony.

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In vivid contrast to all the confusion that surrounded the crucifixion, Jesus exhibited unusual calm and self-control. He did not fly off the handle; He did not lose His composure. Though the sins of all mankind were placed upon Him, He manifested tranquility and love and died only when He chose to give up the spirit.

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No believer’s life is without difficulty. Trials are an essential part of the growth process. But when the conflicts of our lives are hammered out on the anvil of faith and prayer, we can rise to meet the enemy head-on with the knowledge that victory is assured. Our quiet times and quiet places can become Gethsemanes from which we emerge to resolutely fulfill the will of God.

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