Exodus 24:12-18 KJV
(12) And the LORD said unto Moses, Come up to me into the mount, and be there: and I will give thee tables of stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written; that thou mayest teach them.
(13) And Moses rose up, and his minister Joshua: and Moses went up into the mount of God.
(14) And he said unto the elders, Tarry ye here for us, until we come again unto you: and, behold, Aaron and Hur are with you: if any man have any matters to do, let him come unto them.
(15) And Moses went up into the mount, and a cloud covered the mount.
(16) And the glory of the LORD abode upon mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days: and the seventh day he called unto Moses out of the midst of the cloud.
(17) And the sight of the glory of the LORD was like devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel.
(18) And Moses went into the midst of the cloud, and gat him up into the mount: and Moses was in the mount forty days and forty nights.

How often a time of solitude with God is needed for everyone not just ministers. Yet you have to hope those you leave in charge are capable of handling the situation. Moses went up with Joshua on top of Mount Sinai to speak to the Lord. Forty days God would talk to Moses. Joshua went as a minister to Moses perhaps to take care of his needs. Anyone ever going on retreat know the value of spending time in some of the beautiful Christian facilities for a time of growing close ot God. The fresh air alone is enough to help in the quiet meditation of alone with God during independent time. Then there those times of gathering with others for worship or Bible study that have meaning also. Yet without those times of allowing God to speak to your heart, you would perhaps never go the next mile in your journey. Yet the independent time is often a time of instruction. God was giving Moses specific instructions. And for forty days that seems like a long time to meditate with God or speak to God face to face. Yet Moses to lead a people needed time of instruction from God. The people needed a time of testing if they listen to godly leadership or not.

Ministers today take time to study and seek God for direction to lead the church in the direction it needs to go. Leadership takes planning. It is not something that can be learned in a day. A Politician did not learn to be a politician overnight though his success in speaking might appear to be just that, for it only takes that one right speech to being the cycle to fame. Moses had leadership skill training from the days of being in Pharaoh house but he was young man when he left to go to the Midians. It is that time period, that he learned about shepherding or herding. Learning how to organize sheep to go into one direction. Might seem invaluable by today’s standards, but non the less God would use it to help in driving Israel towards the Promise Land. Yet he still needed instruction. He just been through a whirl wind event of miracles done by the declaration of the Lord in his life. He needed that time to know what to do for the next steps in the journey of leadership. Who better to go with him to witness these events was the next leader to come.

If you can not take the next leader with you to help teach and train you going to find what is started going in a different direction. People have their own ideas of how to do things. Proof is in the pudding so to speak when Moses comes down the mountain to find those he left in charge doing despicable acts of spiritual adultery. Aaron and the other priest doing what the people wanted and not what God wanted. The first sign of division in the ranks. Yet Moses would be gone and not tell the people how long this would take, probably not knowing himself. Yet he had to go to learn from the one that put him in charge of everything.

You can not do the will of God without seeking Him. You can not due the will of God without spending time in prayer. You can not do the will of God for forty years and run on revival mode. If you want consistency beyond revival you have to learn to live daily. Paul traveled in revival mode, but because of training in the priesthood knew what daily living and instruction were. If I put flowers in a small carton and start them from seed the grow. Yet at some point I have to transplant them into good soil in order for them to keep growing. Planting great but without a large enough pot a flower will get root bound and eventually die. Roots have to get sunk into the ground to continue growth of the plant that can be seen. Are you root bound, or just need forty days alone with God. No one can take forty days, that why spending some time with God daily is important, even if it is only for a few minutes.

Dear Heavenly Father let the revival end and turn into a time of root growing in the lives of your people, let the Gospel continue to flourish in the heart of your people and when time of being rooted is firm may you revive us once again. In Jesus precious name, Amen.