When life feels like a battle, then we have probably forgotten that life is a battle. We do not live in a perfect world and in Ephesians 6:12 Paul reminds us that our lives are also taking place in a spiritual battle against rulers, authorities and powers of the dark world, the spiritual forces of evil at work. We are not just doing life, we are living out our lives in a world of darkness. Battles require battle strategies and knowing when to withdraw and when to advance is key to winning our battles.
To withdraw in battle is to move out of a territory held by the enemy to regroup. In fact the dictionary definition of retreat is to withdraw from something hazardous, formidable or unpleasant. It is receding from a position or condition gained, normally indicated by a bugle call, a drumbeat or a lowering of the flag. But in a battle, withdrawal with an advance afterwards, normally represents defeat.
To advance in a battle is to move forward, promote in rank, to move against another (usually attacking), to make progress towards objectives.
Often we think that to withdraw or retreat indicates defeat in battles, but if it is immediately followed by a calculated advance, it could bring one to ultimate victory.
Day to day life feels like a battle!
Many things fight for our attention and we often run ourselves ragged trying to attend to it all.
What we need is a life strategy of “withdraw and advance” to help us in fighting our day to day battles. Jesus demonstrated how this strategy works. Jesus was doing a lot of teaching and healing, in fact the crowds were so large that He had to sit on a boat in Luke 5 while He taught the people. From early morning till late at night he was working with “crowds of people” (v15) who wanted to hear his teaching and be healed of their sicknesses. As the people stayed with Him, the rows did not get shorter and the crowds did not diminish. Jesus was exhausted.
Reflecting on my own life, it feels like this too. The to-do list never gets shorter and the demands of life never diminish. There is always something which we are struggling with, some difficulty we are trying to overcome, some problem we are trying to solve, a person who is a challenge.
Look at how Jesus applies the ‘withdraw and advance’ strategy:
“And Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” – Luke 5:16.
Jesus took time away from the crowds, withdrawing to a quiet and deserted place, and Luke makes it very clear that he did not do this to sleep, but to pray. Jesus sought solitude in lonely places where the demands of his schedule could not intrude on the prayer time He needed. Despite how busy Jesus was, He made sure there was time in His schedule to withdraw. He chose to withdraw because He knew that His strength and wisdom to do what God the Father had instructed Him to do, came from spending time in the presence of His Father, praying.
Jesus understood that in order to advance in the work He was doing, to know what to do next, to meet the needs of the people, He had to withdraw to find strength not within Himself as man, but in the supernatural power available to Him in the presence of the Father.
He also taught his disciples to withdraw. In Luke 9 the disciples went out to villages to preach to people and heal the sick, v10: “When the apostles returned, they reported to Jesus what they had done. Then he took them with him and they withdrew by themselves to a town called Bethsaida…” Jesus then spent the time listening to their experiences and teaching them.
Times of withdrawal saw Jesus coming out with clear direction on what he needed to do next. Disciples came out with greater understanding and power. In our lives, taking the time to withdraw and pray, seeking direction, wisdom, strength or simply just calling on God’s hand to intervene, can be the life strategy that changes the direction of the battle towards victory.
In order to advance, you have to withdraw to pray.
“But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” Matt 6:6
- When last did you take time out of your schedule to pray? Is there enough space in your schedule – or is your schedule so packed that spending time in prayer is usually done on the run, is moments of desperation, or not at all.
- When last did you take time to spend an extended time thinking and praying about your life? Take a page, divide it into sections and allocate each section to an area of your life. Spend time reflecting on that area and then pray into it.
Perhaps the lack of advancement in your life is due to the lack of withdrawal.
Lord help me to create space in my life to regularly withdraw from life into my secret place and spend time in your presence talking about my life. Please forgive me for neglecting prayer, for not calling on You and the power available to me to help do life. Help me to remember Lord that you are not unable to sympathise with what I am dealing with, because You yourself lived here and also faced temptation. But help me to come into your presence with confidence, knowing that with You I will receive mercy and find grace and help in my time of need. You are the source of wisdom and strength in my life, help me to regularly withdraw before I advance in life.
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