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In August of 1776, General George Washington made the difficult decision to retreat after the Battle of Long Island. It was not surrender or defeat. It was a strategic withdrawal that preserved his army so they could fight another day—and ultimately win the war. What could that decision from 250 years ago teach us about our own spiritual lives? Perhaps more than we realize. Please read more…

When we hear the word retreat, many of us instinctively think of failure. We picture someone turning away from the battle, giving up, or admitting defeat. Yet history tells a different story. Sometimes the wisest decision is to step back, regroup, regain strength, and prepare for what lies ahead.

Retreat is not defeat!

The Bible presents the same lesson. In Joshua chapter eight, God instructed Joshua and the Israelites to retreat. The enemy believed Israel had been defeated, but the retreat was part of God’s plan. Israel turned and claimed the victory God had prepared.

Our spiritual lives are not all that different. Every one of us faces battles. Some battle illness, grief, broken relationships, discouragement, temptation, or simply the demands of daily life. There are times when we simply run low, and no amount of determination can refill an empty soul.

Nearly all of us carry a cell phone. We know the frustration of watching its battery run low just when we need it most. A phone without a charge cannot do what it was designed to do. Neither can we. We were never meant to live on an empty spiritual battery. Like our phones, we need to be recharged if we are going to fulfill the purpose for which we were created.

Jesus understood our need to be renewed. After the disciples returned from ministry, He said, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest” (Mark 6:31). If even Jesus regularly withdrew to spend time with His Father, how much more do we need that same rhythm in our own lives?

On the weekend of July 23–26, I had the privilege of serving on the team for a Cursillo retreat with approximately fifty men. They arrived as strangers, each carrying burdens from home. Those burdens did not disappear over the weekend, but something else did happen. God met us through His grace. Men who arrived as strangers left spiritually connected, renewed, and better prepared to face the lives waiting for them.

That is what a retreat can do. It does not necessarily remove our problems or make life easier. Instead, it allows God to strengthen us, renew our hope, restore our perspective, and remind us that we never face our battles alone. A retreat does not change the world we return to. It changes us before we return to the world.

Whether it’s Cursillo, Walk to Emmaus, Via de Cristo, Kairos, or some other meaningful retreat, Christians have long discovered the blessing of intentionally stepping away from everyday life to spend uninterrupted time with God. A spiritual retreat is not an escape from reality. It is an opportunity to encounter Christ more deeply so that we can return to reality with renewed faith, hope, and strength.

Have you ever been on a spiritual retreat? If so, when was the last time? If it has been years—or if you have never experienced one—why not prayerfully look at your calendar today? Make time to get away with the Lord. Do not wait until life becomes less busy. The demands of life will always be there, but so will the loving invitation of Jesus: “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”

Speaking of retreats, tomorrow, August 5th, my wife and I will be leading a retreat inside a maximum-security women’s prison in Pennsylvania. We would be grateful for your prayers for the inmates and for us. I am also thankful that Broken Door Ministries recently received a grant to help offset the cost of this retreat. If you would like to help us provide our books and prison retreats to incarcerated men and women, please click here. If your church or Christian community would like information about hosting a Broken Door Ministries retreat, please click here.

Heavenly Father, thank You for inviting us to step away from the busyness of life and rest in Your presence. Renew our strength, restore our hope, and help us make time to be alone with You so that we may return to our daily lives filled with Your grace and ready to serve others with joyful hearts. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

 Have you checked out my new book, Living Out the Lord’s Supper? To find out what readers everywhere are talking about, click here.

AMDG

AMDG is a Latin abbreviation for “Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam,” which means “For the Greater Glory of God.”

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Brian Pusateri

Brian is a Christian author and speaker. Brian, a lifelong Catholic, felt his life was forever changed when God spoke to his heart while attending an eight day silent Christian retreat in November of 2011. Soon after that retreat Brian founded 4th Day Letters and Broken Door Ministries. With the God inspired message of mercy and unconditional love that was placed on his heart during that retreat, Brian has been impacting others all over the country and around the world with his weekly letters, his talks, and his all day Christian retreats. In June of 2014, Brian’s life was again impacted in a very dramatic way when his eyesight suddenly became permanently impaired. The initial diagnosis was Multiple Scleroses (MS) but in December of 2019 the diagnosis was corrected to MOG antibody disease, a rare neurological disease. This health challenge has only served to draw Brian closer to God and bolster the importance of this timely yet ageless message.

Latest posts by Brian Pusateri (see all)

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