Without question Honey Lake Plantation has to be a very special place for God. I truly believe that He takes distinctive interest in out of the ordinary places that He’s created. The Bible specifically tells us that the Holy Land has special meaning to Him and while not purposely addressed in the Bible, I believe that it would be entirely logical that other places on this beautiful little blue marble that He suspended in His glorious Universe have special meaning to Him as well.
One need only look at the stunning Redwood Forest, Mt. Everest, Hana Maui, Yellowstone Park, Seward Alaska, the Grand Canyon, the Garden of Gethsemane, the Everglades, and other places of astonishing beauty to know that God spent extra time and artistry in creating them for His own enjoyment and ours. We see it in the great deserts, intriguing rainforests, spectacular oceans, majestic mountains, mysterious swamps, and vast plains scattered all over the world.
I truly believe that Honey Lake Plantation is one of those exceptional places and words are simply inadequate to describe its splendor and beauty. Other descriptors come to mind such as lovely, peaceful, gorgeous, calm, serene, tranquil, quiet, exquisite, and pristine, but they all do it injustice. One simply must see it to get the full impact.
All of that is glorious, but there is something even better at Honey Lake; namely, one can actually feel the comforting presence of Almighty God here. Whether going for a trail ride or hiking through its miles of majestic forest; or perched in a rocking chair staring; or sitting on a 200 year old pew within its magnificent church among gorgeous stained glass windows, and an awe inspiring view of Honey Lake earnestly praying; there is no question that Almighty God is always present and has His hand on this remarkable place.
Thus it is my estimation that Honey Lake is an ideal place for a spiritual retreat. I used to hear that term and wonder just exactly what it meant. At first I was puzzled to no end because “retreat” seemed synonymous with defeat. Indeed the word “retreat” in Latin means to withdraw or step back. The dictionary elaborates that it is an act of withdrawing from what is difficult, hazardous, formidable, dangerous, disagreeable or unpleasant, and in one sense defines it as withdrawal of a military force from a dangerous position or from an enemy attack.
Surely Christians shouldn’t have a defeatist attitude and retreat with their tails tucked behind their legs. I was always of the persuasion to fiercly fight until the “last dog dies” and I’m either victorious or no longer wiggling???
I might have been puzzled, but Jesus Christ understood this concept very well and in fact the Bible tells us that He routinely withdrew, (or retreated) to a place of quiet and solitude to pray. I of course was thinking in human terms and Jesus was thinking in spiritual or supernatural terms. Jesus feared no one and was not defeated in any sense of the word. He withdrew in order to prepare Himself spiritually. Jesus withdrew from the secular in order to access the divine.
Certainly living in the world throughout human history has often been (and still is) difficult, dangerous and disagreeable and what we generally find is stress accumulates via constantly chasing after something, always planning and seeking some future imaginary peace. The problem is that we cannot find peace in anything the world has to offer which creates a chronic state of anxiety and a sense that something is always missing.
That missing piece, (peace), is God! In order to relieve and heal our stress, we need to enter a period of seclusion and withdraw from all worldly distractions and stop all of our human endeavors for a while. We need to retreat to a sanctuary and shelter affording peace, quiet, privacy, solitude and safety where we can seek spiritual reunification with our God.
For thousands of years people of different cultures have been seeking personal spiritual retreats to find a shelter, a refuge from the world and to reconnect with a sense of inner peace. Spiritual retreats have taken place in religious institutions like secluded monasteries, where individuals were offered a shelter and a practice of prayer, fasting, and meditation, and in places like Jesus chose; a simple place of quiet beauty and peace. Many spiritually inclined people have discovered that group withdrawal for prayer, meditation, or study, (a religious or spiritual retreat) is advantageous, while others prefer to find their peace alone.
The Bible is specific and clear that we are to devote at least one day a week to rest and worship. This is in itself a form of spiritual retreat and God has mandated this because we need it for our own health, (physical, mental, and spiritual). Although I cannot find specific commands that we should go on spiritual retreats proper like those offered at Honey lake, we need only look to Jesus and His life to understand that it is of value to our souls to go on them. He withdrew on a regular basis and so should we.
We sometimes don’t realize the need to search for personal spiritual retreat until and unless we encounter a serious life challenge, such as the loss of a loved one, divorce, break-up, serious illness and suddenly not knowing who we really are anymore. The example Jesus set for us was not to wait until disaster strikes, but regularly seek our quiet time with Him.
Is it possible to find the inner peace and live it now?
Christ said that we should : “…be in the world but not of it”.
Hmmm… Carefully analyze that statement. When Jesus retreated away from the secular and focused on the divine, left the temporal and concentrated on the eternal, didn’t He do just that?
Spiritual retreat can help you rediscover the safe place within God’s Holy presence. He remains unchanged in a changing world and at peace in a chaotic quagmire. He offers hope and He tells us to enjoy His rest. I don’t know about you, but I need some rest, especially as this political season and negativity spreads like cancer throughout our land.
I think a spiritual retreat is in order for the entire world. If you cannot come to Honey Lake, go somewhere where you can enjoy quiet beauty and solitude.
Matt 14:23
After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there
Mark 1:35
Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.
Luke 5:16
But Jesus often withdrew to the wilderness for prayer.