Solitude and Silence

Psalm 46:10-11 “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge.”

When finding ways to be alone for “quiet time” away from talk and noise in devotional prayer and meditation, we are attending to soul care at a basic level. We rest, we observe, we “stop to smell the roses” and we do nothing but commune with the Lord. The late Dallas Willard states that in this quiet time we may even find another reminder of grace; that we are saved, justified by His redeeming power, not by our strivings and achievements.

Matthew 6:6 “But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.”

In drawing aside for quiet time, we seek to rid ourselves of the corrosion of soul that accrues from constant interaction with others and the world around us. In this place of quiet communion, we discover again that we do have souls, that we indeed have inner beings to be nurtured. Then we begin to experience again the presence of God in the inner sanctuary, speaking to and interacting with us. We understand anew that God will not compete for our attention. We must arrange time for our communion with Him as we draw aside in solitude and silence.

Psalm 5:1 “Give ear to my words, O Lord, Consider my meditation.”

A response often is: “I don’t have time” or “I have too much to do.” The truth is that we don’t have time not to. No time is more profitably spent than that used to heighten the quality of an intimate walk with God. If we think otherwise, we have been badly educated. The real question is, will we make the time and take the time to so what is necessary for an abundant life and abundant ministry in Christ, or will we try to get by without it? God’s provision for us and for His work through us is adequate. We must stop shouldering the burdens of “outcomes”. These are safely in His hands.

Willard explains that God never gives anyone too much to do. We do that to ourselves or allow others to do it to us.  We may be showing our lack of confidence in God’s power and goodness. God’s power can be actively and wisely sought and received by us only as we seek to grow by grace into Christ-likeness. Power with Christ-like character is God’s unbeatable combination of triumphant life in the Kingdom of God on earth and forever.

Blessings in Christ.