Step into the wilderness with Christ—and discover the renewal solitude brings. Through scripture, silence, and the evocative painting Christ in the Wilderness, this session invites you to retreat from distraction and draw close to God. Let the quiet speak, and listen for how the Spirit meets you in stillness.

Mark 1:12-13

In this episode of Art and Prayer, we reflect on the practice of spiritual retreat—not as an escape from life, but as a deeper movement into the presence of God. Drawing from Juliet Benner’s Contemplative Vision, we are reminded that stepping away from our daily routines, even briefly, can create sacred space to encounter the Holy. A retreat doesn’t require travel or silence in the wilderness. It begins the moment we choose to be still, to pause, and to listen. Benner suggests that these times are not about accomplishing spiritual goals, but about being fully present to God’s invitation. Thomas Green once described a retreat as a “vacation with the Lord”—a time of simply being together.

We begin with scripture—not to analyze, but to receive. Today’s passage comes from the Gospel of Mark, where Jesus, fresh from his baptism, is led into the wilderness by the Spirit. There, for forty days, he faces temptation and is tended by angels. This is not a story of triumph, but of preparation—a time apart, filled with silence, struggle, and divine presence. As we hear the words, we are invited to notice: What phrase or image speaks to you today? What does your soul need in this wilderness?

The painting that accompanies our reflection is Christ in the Wilderness, a visual meditation on solitude, vulnerability, and divine companionship. The scene is stark—Jesus alone in the desert, surrounded by both danger and beauty. To his side, two trees tell their own story: one lifeless and brittle, the other alive and stretching toward him. Around him, animals gather—some curious, some wary, each representing aspects of our own spiritual journeys: temptation, fear, companionship, worship. A snake reminds us of the trials we face; a dove hovers, echoing the Spirit’s presence. And in the midst of it all, Jesus sits quietly, centered, praying.

As we dwell with the painting, we are invited into that same stillness. What do you notice? Where does your gaze rest? What part of the scene mirrors something in your own life? The session becomes not a study of wilderness, but an experience of it—a spiritual retreat in real time.

We close with an invitation to linger. Let the scripture and the image continue to speak. What has God whispered to you here? What strength or clarity do you carry forward from this wilderness moment? Wherever you go from here, may you find moments to retreat—not to withdraw, but to return to the quiet presence of God, who meets us even in the driest places.