“HE WOULD WITHDRAW!”

Luke 5:12-16                                        (ESV)

JESUS Cleanses a Leper

[12] While HE was in one of the cities, there came A MAN FULL OF LEPROSY. And when he saw JESUS, he fell on his face and begged him, “LORD, if YOU will, YOU can make me clean.” [13] And JESUS stretched out HIS hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately the leprosy left him. [14] And HE charged him to tell no one, but “go and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your cleansing, as Moses commanded, for a proof to them.” [15] But now even more the report about HIM went abroad, and great crowds gathered to hear HIM and TO BE HEALED OF THEIR INFIRMITIES . [16] But “HE WOULD WITHDRAW” to DESOLATE PLACES and PRAY.”

“This world” is seemingly always trying to get we who have been CHOSEN to become caught up in the narrative that we must be celebrated for what we are allowed to accomplish during our brief sojourn on earth.  Although our journey here is generally less than 100 years, the time JESUS physically spent on earth was 33 years, with only three years ministering to “the imperfect”.  In the passage of Scripture above, JESUS brought HEALING to A MAN FULL OF LEPROSY, then went into isolation to PRAY.  

Now we KNOW that JESUS never sinned, therefore the need for repentance didn’t exist.  But Scripture is replete mentioning “HE WOULD WITHDRAW” and PRAY!  In just over three years, JESUS would remove HIMSELF from the busyness of “this world”, yet we act as though we have no need (or worse, no desire!) to be alone with our CREATOR.  We have to KNOW that we NEED to be “regenerated” from ABOVE, but we FAIL to GET ALONE WITH GOD and allow HIM time to PURIFY as ONLY HE can!  Why can’t we SEE the the NEED like JESUS was SEEING???

As previously stated, it is very often that “HE WOULD WITHDRAW” from HIS ministerial duties, not to get away from the demands of others, but to replenish HIS SPIRIT.  JESUS and GOD are ONE (John 10:30) and if “HE WOULD WITHDRAW” was necessary for HIM, shouldn’t it be EVEN MORE necessary for us?  We MUST HAVE a filling of the HOLY SPIRIT to operate IN THE SPIRIT!  

FATHER IN HEAVEN, cause me to SEE more clearly that when JESUS was going to be used by YOU, “HE WOULD WITHDRAW” as HE did in John 17!  OPEN MY EYES to SEE!!!