We Don’t Need a Wilson

We Don’t Need a Wilson

“After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone,” Matthew 14:23 NIV

Tom Hanks mesmerized my husband in Cast Away. He rented it one weekend when I was speaking at a retreat. It really wasn’t Tom Hanks that captured his attention as much as his companion, Wilson.

When Hanks was abandoned on a deserted island, loneliness was an everyday occurrence. A floating Fed Ex package held hope for his friendless plight. Inside the box was a Wilson volleyball which became his imaginary friend.

Now that is the big joke at our house – when I’m gone for speaking events or conferences, my husband pulls Wilson out and sets him in my chair.

Being alone is a hard concept for most of us. Our world tells us that we must be active and involved. We fill our days racing from one event to the next hoping to accomplish everything on our to-do list. However, Jesus lived a very different example with His life.

Read Mark 4:10, Mark 6:47 and Luke 9:36 and you will discover moments when Jesus chose to be alone.

If prayer were an Olympic sport, Jesus would be a gold medalist. He focused on it, alone. He longed to hear from His Father daily. He trained to be a first-class listener which took uninterrupted selections of time.

Right before Jesus told us in John 16:33, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” He let us know how He could be so sure of this peace, “Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me.”

Oh, and by the way, when we follow His lead and escape from the rat race we’ll learn that we won’t need a Wilson to keep us company, for we are never alone.

Dear Lord, thank You for promising to walk through this life every step of the way with us. Help us to get alone with You today and listen. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.



An Important Message from John LongView Message
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