The military calls it an Advance to the Rear, Strategic Retreat, or Tactical Withdrawal. Businesses call it a Team Getaway or Management Retreat. In the gym world, we call it a De-load. Which is what my personal trainer ordered me to do for at least the next two weeks. That means specifically no lifting weights. I’m allowed to stretch, do core exercises (which I totally dislike), and cardio that I’m not a fan of either. Apparently, I’ve worked so hard that my body needs a break.

But it got me thinking, especially since my new Life Group is planning a women’s retreat for April.  How often do we as Christians need a break? And what is the protocol for a spiritual retreat?

So first, what is a spiritual retreat?

Most of us think of something like this.

Google says a spiritual retreat is a purposeful withdrawal from danger, distraction, conflict, or daily noise to preserve life, follow God’s timing, or renew spiritual strength.

Now, most of us don’t have the danger or need to preserve life, but I think we all have some form of distraction, conflict, or daily noise. I know I do. In fact, there is a new “rent an office” place that just opened in town. You can rent an office by the day with all the nice office stuff included for only $25. Personally, I’m seriously tempted, but I love sitting at a local coffee shop with my laptop, hot cocoa, and a chocolate chip cookie. The murmur of voices blends into the background, and I can focus on my work. But that doesn’t do much for my spirit.

When it comes to spiritual matters, we need to go to the Bible and Jesus as our example.

Jesus was big on taking time away from the distractions, conflict, and daily noise. For example, Matthew 4:1-11. Jesus is about to begin His public ministry. He’s been baptized, and the Holy Spirit leads Him into the desert. There He fasts, and after 40 days and nights, He is tempted by Satan. And while we aren’t told what else Jesus did during those days and nights, I’m sure there was a lot of prayer and communing with His Father.

Not much later, in Luke 6:12, we see Jesus going up into the mountains to pray. There, “He continued all night in prayer to God.” When morning came, He gathered his disciples and chose His apostles. This was a major event in His ministry and the lives of those disciples.

In Matthew 14, Jesus is grieving the death of his cousin John at the hand of Herod and attempts to go to a deserted place by Himself, but the people follow Him. Even in his grief, He is moved with compassion and heals their sick. As the hour grows late, the disciples want Him to send the crowd away. Instead, Jesus feeds them with the 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish. Once they are fed and leftovers collected, Jesus dispatches the disciples across the Sea of Galilee, sends the crowds away, and He goes up on the mountain to pray. There, He spends possibly 9 to 12 hours alone in prayer. I encourage you to read the whole chapter.

Don’t you just love the disciples’ reactions when Jesus comes walking to them on the water? They’ve just seen Him feed over 5,000 men, not to mention the women and children, with 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish. Add in all the people they saw Jesus heal, yet they doubt He can walk on water.

In fact, Luke 5:16 tells us, “He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed.”

Here’s where I’m going with this. If Jesus, who IS God, needed to spend time alone in prayer with His Father, how much more do we as mere humans need to spend time alone with our Heavenly Father?

Taking time alone with our Father has many benefits. First, rest. Not just physical but also spiritual. Ever get so busy doing stuff for God you forget why you are doing those things? Or get so involved in the routine you lose the joy of serving God? We get so busy being busy and doing stuff that it becomes a chore. We get “burned out” and just plain tired. Taking a break gives us much needed rest.

I think about Elijah in 1 Kings 17-19. He’d survived a drought that he’d declared, had this huge victory over 450 prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel, and raced Ahab’s chariot to Jezreel.  That’s a lot of stuff in a short time. After all this, he was threatened by the queen, and his reaction was to ask God to take his life. I don’t think it was his faith that failed. He was just tired and overwhelmed.

Stepping back also gives us a chance to focus and give God our full attention.

I know I often get so overwhelmed with everyday distractions that I default to routine. Time to do my Bible study, time to go to church, time to say a quick prayer. He deserves more than that. I’m not saying routine is bad; we should “schedule” time with God, but when we only do it because it’s expected of us, we need to do a spiritual welfare check.

Spending quality time with God renews our spirit. It gives us clarity and direction for our life. Many times we know we should be doing something, but don’t know what. Spending quiet time with Him gives us the guidance we need.

Remember Psalm 46:10, “Be still, and know that I am God”? When we are still, we remember who He is and who we are in comparison.  When we are still and quiet, we can hear Him speak in that “still, small voice”. He is the source of our strength; He fills our cups to overflowing.

So what does this being still look like?

Most of us don’t have the luxury to take a dedicated spiritual retreat away from the world’s distractions. We have jobs, families, and responsibilities. I’m blessed to be able to do so with my Life Group ladies, but that’s a once-a-year thing for just a weekend. I need more than that, so I try to be deliberate about daily quality time with Him.

For example, most days I get up before the rest of the house. My dog is like a furry alarm clock that has no reset button, so even though I don’t need to be up at 6 or 6:30, he is awake and ready to go. Depending on the morning, I often have 2 hours of quiet time.

In the spring and early fall, I love sitting on my patio, watching the birds and relaxing with God’s Word before starting my day. You can do a Bible study, a daily devotional, or whatever personal reading plan you are using.

My favorite time to be still and quiet is at night. It’s dark, and the house is quiet. Hubby and the dog are asleep, and there is just something about being the only one awake.

I also love to listen to sermons from trusted pastors. I actually have an online pastor I listen to every week. And while it’s not the same as in-person worship, which I do at my local church, I’m learning God’s Word and He still speaks.

Speaking of worship, don’t neglect worshipping with your church family.

It is so easy to get overwhelmed with serving that we forget to worship.

Many people I know have their “alone time” as they drive to and from work, especially those with long commutes. Me, I’m a homebody, and the places I go are often close by, except the gym where I work out with my trainer. It’s a 20-minute drive on a good day but is usually closer to 30. I spend this time listening to a good Christian playlist, turned up, singing praises to God. Or, I’ll simply talk to Him about my concerns, then give them to Him to deal with.

I always feel more at peace after spending time with God. It’s reassuring to know that He is in control and nothing takes Him by surprise. Not only do I have peace, but I’m ready to tackle whatever comes at me and whatever task He has for me.

I don’t have any catchy quotes or acronyms this time. Only this line from a sermon I heard not long ago. Direction is found at the source, which is the Cross.  Remember, delays aren’t always delays; they might be protection. Detours aren’t always detours; they might be protection. Sometimes God needs to develop our character and faith before we meet our destiny. And lastly, don’t be afraid to just stand still and surrender.