The Wilderness Experience

For more than forty years, Vladimir Horowitz dazzled audiences. Born in the Ukraine in 1903, he sprang to worldwide fame in 1925 as a last-minute replacement for an indisposed pianist at a concert in Hamburg, Germany. The audience went wild, and word spread.

He continued to dazzle audiences with remarkable technique. His concerts were described as “events,” marked by “electricity” and the “thunderclap when he appeared.”

Then, in 1953, at the height of his fame, Horowitz surprised many by retiring from public performance. Was this just a sabbatical? No one really knew for sure.

Then, suddenly, in 1965, he returned to the concert stage. Audiences were astonished. He still had virtuoso technique but new dimensions had been added to his playing. During this “retirement” he gained a broadened perspective. His musical understanding reflected new depths of maturity.

Horowitz had demonstrated a truth that was central to creation: The value of rest. God Himself had rested “on the seventh day” and taught the importance of the Sabbath day.

We particularly see the importance of being apart when, immediately after Jesus’ baptism, the Spirit “drove Him into the wilderness.” This was a place of testing and purging. A place of perspective, where He could be alone with the Father.

In your life, be sensitive to the need for time to withdraw and be alone with God, apart from the busyness of the world. He knows how easily you can stagnate spiritually, how you need to be refreshed and renewed.

Be sensitive to His call on your life. Seek opportunities to be alone with Him, for prayer and Bible study, and moments to withdraw to deepen your relationship with Him, that you may emerge with new levels of ministry, understanding, and power.