Silence and Solitude

“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.”

MARK 1:35 (NIV)

●  LOVE GOD

What if quiet was where you heard God best?

For most of us, our understanding of prayer is a one-way conversation. We ask God to do this, we want God to move in a specific way, we are waiting on him to do something here. Before we know it, our prayer life is full of noise.

Noise isn’t always a bad thing, but there are times it can begin to crowd and cover God’s voice and his presence. Silence and solitude is the practice of being in the quiet, alone with God, for the purpose of connecting deeply with him and hearing his voice to us.

THE PRACTICE

Start with five minutes

Silence and solitude bring difficulty. You will encounter the thoughts, distractions, and fears we usually cover over with noise. But we also encounter a God who is bigger than all of those things, and who wants to be with us in love.

To practice, find a place where you can get quiet. Maybe it’s a hunting trip, the back deck before the sun is up, or your favorite chair in the dining room. Then set a timer, starting small (5 minutes), and sit with God. When you get distracted (and you will), gently return to him. Silence and solitude are hard work, but they can bring about profound growth in our spiritual life.

RESOURCES

Companions for the journey

Invitation to Solitude and Silence
Book by Ruth Haley Barton. A practical, gentle guide to experiencing God in the quiet.

Celebration of Discipline
Book by Richard Foster. Includes a chapter on the discipline of solitude.