The Wild Places

But now more than ever the word about Jesus spread abroad; many crowds would gather to hear him and to be cured of their diseases. But he would withdraw to deserted places and pray. Luke 5:15-6

When I was about 10, I asked my Mom where her favorite place was to be alone. She, being a practical person, replied that she loved to retreat to the master bathroom and soak in a hot bath with a book. I was stumped. That did not sound interesting at all to my 10-year-old self. Maybe the book part, but a bath? My mom is a self-proclaimed "un-romantic", whereas I am the opposite. My favorite place to be alone was up in a pine tree that I would climb. There was a perfect limb to rest on and lean against the trunk. And the view was great, too. I just could not understand how she would want to be inside, when there were so many things to discover outside.
In this verse, Luke 5:16, Jesus withdraws from his duties to "deserted places": the wild, the untamed, the forgotten places of God's creation. He finds rest and he prays. Solitude in nature can be one of the most inspiring and frightening experiences. You will be reminded of God's majesty in all that he made; you will understand better than anywhere else how small humans really are.
I would like to say that my favorite place to be alone is still that pine tree, but it isn't. That particular pine tree met an untimely death not too long after the conversation I had with my Mom. A bulldozer and a crew of men came and cleared that space to build a house. I was devastated.
And this tale is not unusual. We all know the stats: far too many acres of land gets cleared each year for housing developments (as was this case), farmland, and commercial use. The wild, untamed, deserted places on this earth are becoming fewer and fewer. Where shall we go, to experience the majesty of God's creation? Where will our children and grandchildren go?