One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God.
Luke 6:12 (NIV)
This past week I fulfilled a long time desire. A friend and I drove to New Malleray Abbey in northeast Iowa and spent 24 hours in a personal retreat. The Abbey is home to Cistercian monks and they welcome guests to stay with them. It’s not on a mountain, but northeast Iowa is about the closest thing we have to it.
For a small donation, I was given a simple room—bed, desk, chair, bathroom. Seven times a day at set hours, the monks gather for prayer, beginning with Vigil at 4:30 a.m. and ending with Compline at 7:30 p.m. We attended each during our stay. Otherwise, we were in our “cell” in complete quiet.
No phone.
No television.
No internet.
My Bible, my journal, and silence.
There was no set agenda or program. My friend and I discussed before we left what we intended to do in the quiet. I went into the time with some things on which I wanted to pray. Three things on which I wanted to meditate.
As I read today’s chapter, I found myself back on that mountainside. Before choosing His twelve disciples, Jesus went up on a mountain-side, by Himself, to pray through the night.
A few verses later, Luke reports that a “large crowd of disciples” were gathered to hear Jesus teach.
Jesus had a crowd of disciples.
He knew He needed to choose twelve.
He went off by Himself for a day and a night of silence and prayer.
After our twenty-four hours, my friend and I had a three-hour drive home during which we stopped for lunch. We not only processed what we had experienced in our first time at the Abbey, but we also processed what we had learned and heard in our extended time in prayer and the issues we brought with us on our list.
There were no angelic visits. No miraculous moments. But something quieter—and perhaps more enduring—took place. There was, however, a trinity of progressive outcomes.
First, there was increased clarity about the issues we each prayed about.
Like Jesus getting clarity about who the twelve should be.
This led to the second outcome. As my friend and I processed the clarity we received in our time of silence and prayer, it led to very intimate and transparent conversations with one another about them. This, in turn, created even more clarity and moved the needle for both of us.
The final outcome was that we realized how much we needed this, and we’ve already begun to discuss our next silent retreat.
One of the themes of Luke’s version of the Jesus Story is Jesus penchant for spending times in solitary prayer. He mentions it nine times. More than any of the other three gospel writers. In today’s chapter, Jesus finishes His message talking about the difference between those who hear His teaching and apply it, and those who hear His teaching and don’t.
As I meditated on this in the quiet this morning, it struck me that Jesus’ teaching was not just in His words — He was teaching with His life.
It turns out that mountainsides aren’t just for Jesus.
As I mentioned at the beginning of today’s post, my silent retreat at the Abbey has been a long-time desire.
I regret that it took me so long to do it.
It won’t be long before I do it again.
If you know anyone who might be encouraged by today’s post, please share.
