Roadside Stops...

"After Jesus had dismissed them, 

He went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. 

When evening came, He was there alone" 

(Matthew 14:23 - NIV)

"And He said to them, “Come aside by yourselves to 

a deserted place and rest a while.” 

For there were many coming and going, 

and they did not even have time to eat." 

(Mark 6:31 New King James Version)

"Jesus... departed again to the mountain 

by Himself alone" 

(John 6:15 NKJV)

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Wayside Stops

A sanctuary is a place of refuge and protections – a place where you can leave the world behind.

Travelers in the Middle Ages found little shrines set up along the roadway. In each shrine, a cross and the image of a saint were hung. Travelers could stop at these so called “sanctuaries” for rest and take time for prayer, regaining strength to continue their journey.

Our contemporary world doesn’t have wayside shrines for rest stops. But our minds and hearts still get weary. We have to devise our own wayside stops, not on actual roads, but in the road or daily life.

Attending a worship service on a weekend does not usually provide everything we need to see us through an entire week. As inspiring as the service may be, we need something more to keep us going until the next service. We need stopping places during the week, intimate sanctuaries here and there where we can stop our busier life and let the Lord God refresh our soul with His presence.

What are some sanctuaries you might find to get away from your busy life and find restoration and peace from God? Here it is some ideas:

• Reading the Holy Scriptures is one such stopping place, because our success in life and in anything we do depends on our reading of the Word of God, see Joshua 1:8 “Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.” – Immerse yourself in a favorite passage elsewhere in the Bible, such as Psalms, Proverbs, and the Gospels.

• A little book of daily devotion is a good way to restore energy. Carry one of these precious devotional books with you. Read it with your heart, soul and spirit!

• A trusted Christian friend with whom you can be yourself is a type of sanctuary. You can gain a great deal from the faith, encouragement, and insight of others. The Bible says, “Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.” (Proverbs 15:22) – “Listen, my son, to your father's instruction and do not forsake your mother's teaching.  They will be a garland to grace your head and a chain to adorn your neck” (Proverbs 1:8-9).

• Your own communion service during the week gives you a chance to take part in the nourishment of the Lord’s Supper. Just to show you how it was begun in the home, Acts, chapter 2:46, says, “They, continuing daily with one accord in the temple and breaking bread from house to house.” One of the customs of the early church was to share in communion from house to house. It’s a beautiful thing. It belongs in the home, equally as it belongs in the Church. If you were to share once a week in a communion in your own home, this could be a tremendous thing to celebrate together as a family, the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ and His Soon coming back. This praises God; this exalts the Savior; this brings the focus on the unity of the believers as we gather at the foot of the cross. Yes, certainly it belongs in the home. You don’t have to have official people serving it. It’s something every believer can do. Maybe someone asks, “Do you have to be a member of the church to take communion?” Of course not. You just have to be a born again Christian and love the Lord Jesus Christ; there’s no requirement other than that.

• Going to a State or City Park, or just sitting in your own backyard and reading the Bible or a good Christian book gives you a chance to rest while enjoying God’s creation. Note: Don’t read gossip magazines at these moments, because they are filled with evil things and social garbage.

• Singing aloud a great hymn or praise song helps to restore your joy, while you immerse yourself in the song’s lyric.

Jesus Christ is your Example, and He often went away to quiet place to gain strength from His Heavenly Father our Father too, “For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being” (Ephesians 3:14-16).

Establish your own personal shrines today! God want your attention because He wants to have a personal relationship with you daily, every minute, wherever you go! Think about it and don’t harden your heart to His lovely voice right now. May the Lord bless you.

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“Let the first act on waking be to place yourself, your heart, mind, faculties, your whole being, in God's hands. Ask Him to take entire possession of you, to be the Guide of your soul, your Life, your Wisdom, your Strength. He wills that we seek him in all our needs, that we may both know Him truly, and draw closer and closer to Him; and in prayer we gain an invisible force which will triumph over seemingly hopeless difficulties.” (Sidney Lear)