Impacting our world with the Word of God and the love of Christ

Daily devotionals on the spiritual discipline of silence.

Day 1

I heard a pastor say once, "I love the Canadian wilderness so much, and I suffered under the delusion that once my wife and girls went there, they would love it too. I still remember being in the middle of the wilderness canoeing on a pristine lake when I said to the girls, 'Do you hear that?'  'Hear what,' they said. 'The silence,' I responded. 'Yes,' they grumbled, 'and we hate it.' Oh well..."
    A lot of people feel that way about silence. Perhaps we are afraid of our thoughts. That’s why the world finds its fulfillment in partying; they want to be distracted. But if we want to live something more than a shallow life, we need to go into the world of solitude and silence.
    As we look at this important spiritual discipline, we want to ask, first of all: Why do we need solitude?  Solitude means getting alone for awhile so that we can begin to know ourselves and know God in a deeper way. We also need to get away from noise.

    We need solitude and silence because the world is bombarding us with all kinds of emotional messages — many of which are not only wrong, but detrimental to our spiritual well-being. We need to get in touch with reality and the truth. We need to get in touch with ourselves. And most of all we need to get in touch with God, our Creator. We need to get a proper perspective and realign our priorities. Our lives are so filled with noise. We are so inundated with subtle and not so subtle messages. We are over stimulated. We need to reduce the stimulation so that we can hear ourselves think, and hear what God is saying to us. We need to get alone with God. 

    Check out these passages and see the importance of solitude.  Matt 4:1-11, 6:6, 14:23; Luke 5:16, 6:12-13.

Good morning!  Enjoy the solitude you can find today!  Try to look for new opportunities!

 

    In the New Testament, I see that Jesus was in need of solitude.  Check out these passages...  Before his Transfiguration he was in solitude (Matthew 17:1-9). Before his arrest, trial and crucifixion he was alone in prayer (Matthew 26:36-46). 

    Here's the questions for the day..   #1 If Jesus was in such need of solitude and prayer, why would we ever think that we do not need it?  #2 If the Son of God needed a time and place for prayer, how much more do we need it? Please note when Jesus went to be in solitude. He went to be alone before a major life change. He went to be alone to listen to God before important decisions. He went to be alone to grieve over the loss of a loved one. He went to be alone after a great victory and successful ministry. He was alone before a great spiritual event took place in his life. And finally, he was alone as he entered the most difficult period of his life — when trouble, suffering and death were facing him.
    These are the same kind of situations where we need solitude and silence. Are you facing a major decision or life change? Is there an event coming up for which you need to be prepared? Are you grieving or in some sorrow? Have you just expended a great deal of energy on something with which you were successful? You need to get away and recharge your batteries. You need a quiet place where you can listen to God. You need to prepare for the days which are coming.

    Stay faithful!

I trust that you are enjoying seeing God's creation come alive once more.  It truly is spectacular!  It also gives us moments when we can "reflect in solitude".

 

I would like to more highly motivate you to think about solitude by examining this question today.  What are the benefits of solitude?  I humbly suggest the following for your consideration.

 

1. It brings about peace to face difficult days & difficult people.

2. In the same way, it prepares us for the day ahead.

3. It helps us look into the future with hope & anticipation.

 

Today, consider the classic Old Testament story about Elijah and see how he benefitted from solitude (I Kings 19:1-18)

   

There is so much noise in the world. Our senses are constantly being overwhelmed by sights and sounds. We need to find a quiet place where our spirits can be renewed and refreshed. Only in solitude are we prepared for the activity and stress we face each day. It is where we learn to lose control and realize that God is in control. Solitude and silence are where we get to know our God.

 

Carpe Diem!

 

PD

Hope your week has been a blessing thus for, or for that matter, you have been a blessing too!

 

Application is our next destination for solitude.  Specifically, how can we make this a part of our lives?

 

Here are some suggestions I have collected.

 

 1. Deliberately carve out a time each day. Don’t let anything interfere with it.

 2. Have a special chair, or a special room, so that people know that at a certain time of the day when you are    there, you are not to be disturbed. Put a sign on the door if you have to.

 3. Take some extended time each week if you can. Go on a hike, get in a boat, go for a drive, ride a bike, take a walk or take a trip. Maybe you can’t do something like that. Perhaps you will fish, hit golf balls alone, or even shop.  But turn the activity into more than just the activity.

 4. Use your time alone to reflect. Talk to God and listen for his response.

 

This is where our hearts are developed and grown.

We cannot develop spiritually unless we have solitude and silence.

 

Consider this...God does meet us in the noise of life at times. He surprises us in the chaos and confusion of life to be sure,  but most often he meets us in the quiet place where his voice can be heard.

 

Today focus on the truth contained in Psalm 46, specifically the familiar verse 10.

 

Have a great day in the Lord.

Do you ever feel like you are running on empty?  You find yourself low on energy and enthusiasm?

 

C. S. Lewis in his book Mere Christianity says, “God designed the human machine to run on himself. He himself is the fuel our spirits were designed to burn, or the food our spirits were designed to feed on. There is no other. That is why it is just no good asking God to make us happy in our own way without bothering about religion. God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing.”
 

Read Isaiah 30:15. How would your life be different if you followed the truth of this Scripture?