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It was not too long after the Covid-19 induced stay-at-home order when my wife and I realized that staying at home all day has a way of giving appetite you never knew you had. One day I was eating essentially every two hours. There is no doubt that this kind of eating all we can eat could be detrimental to our health. Soon enough we made the decision to walk together every evening. We started gradually, walking about three miles each day and we gradually increased to our current target of about 6 miles daily. This has been highly beneficial to us. I had since lost about 13 pounds while my wife had lost about 25 pounds. This is good and I hope we can keep it that way. This is however not the story. What we have found out is that our daily walk has drawn us closer to each other. In the last four months we have discussed almost every topic on the face of the earth in which we have knowledge. Now, I look forward to this time daily because it is our time alone for chit-chat. Before this when we are at home, I am always in the home office either doing my day work, doing Church work, watching news, or like my wife always says, “writing pastor’s corner”, her euphemism for saying I am always busy, or I don’t have enough time for her. On the other hand, my wife too has suddenly fallen in love with some “Korean stories” that she reads all the time. Suffice it to say that when we are at home, I am “writing pastor’s corner” and she is reading her “Korean stories”. There is nothing wrong with these things we do, but they seem to also take time away from our time together.
My brothers and sisters, we all need some time alone with God just like we do with our loved ones. Every relationship and friendship grows deeper and tighter through spending time together. It is important to spend time alone with God in order to know Him more. Somethings I never knew about my wife before, I know now, thanks to our daily walk. God will reveal things to you that you never knew when you spend time alone with Him. Our level of intimacy with God increases when we spend time alone with him. We need to move closer to God so that He too can get closer to us. The word of God in Hebrews 4:16 says “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” Spending time with God opens the door of grace and mercy, especially in this very difficult time of Covid-19 pandemic. We all need God’s grace and we surely can use His mercy. Come to think about it, we are already spending so much time at home anyway that we should not have any excuse about spending time with God. There is no party to go, there is no movie house to go, vacations are not even advised at this time. Such a time like this should not be allowed to waste. It can be better used to get closer to God so we can reap the fruit of an intimate relationship with him.
I do not mind spending time alone with my wife at all. For anyone we profess to love we should always long for that time alone with such a person where we can get their full attention and they can get ours. In a similar manner, we should long to spend time alone with God out of love. When we spend time alone with God, it is a way for us to fellowship with Him and to abide in Him. God’s desire for us is to remain in Him (John 15:4), because it is by remaining in God that we can bear fruit. Spending time alone with God keeps all distractions at bay. Spending time alone with God is how we receive strength to keep keeping on daily. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing” – John 15:5. Apart from God we can do nothing. He is our strength. We need His strength to fight the spiritual battles of our lives. He is the source of our life and his will is our purpose. If we do not spend time alone with the Father so we can understand His heart, we become essentially purposeless and rudderless.
My brothers and sisters, worshipping with the brethren, Bible Study, and Prayer Meetings are all very good and important, but every Christian must make time for that solitary time alone with God. It helps to improve our relationship with Him. Remember that favorite song we sing, “I’ll make room for two, you and I, Jesus. You are all that matters, you are all that matters.” Let us make room for two where we will spend time alone with God periodically so that we can know and follow the mind of God.
– Pastor Simbo Odunaiya
