Listen to the world around you, what do you hear? For me it is the sound of silence abruptly interrupted by the sound of my fingers hitting each letter on my keyboard as I type this; the sound of cars driving by, and my A/C working hard to get my home back to 70 degrees. For you, it may be a silence that is interrupted by the ringing of the phone, the voice of your children, or the attention-seeking behavior of your pet. In these past few months, I have been confronted with a lot of silence, and even more solitude. Maybe you are an introvert who thrives on being alone. Or maybe you are an extrovert, who is eagerly awaiting the opportunity to be around many people again. In my case, I am somewhere in between.
While God teaches us a lot through the people and sounds that consume our day to day life, He also teaches us many things in silence and solitude. This is probably why Christians throughout the ages have seen silence and solitude as a spiritual discipline. According to Donald S. Whitney in the book Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life:
“solitude is the Spiritual Discipline of voluntarily and temporarily withdrawing to privacy for spiritual purposes.” Whether you are introverted or extroverted, we should all take time to practice intentional silence and solitude in our spiritual walk...without silence and solitude, we can be active, but shallow. Without fellowship we can be deep, but stagnant. Christlikeness requires both sides of the equation”
– Donald S. Whitney
Jesus mastered this balance during his time on earth. In scripture, we see Jesus in crowded places where He provided teaching and healing. However, it is also important to note that He took time to retreat to be by Himself, we see this throughout the gospels:
- “Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.” Matthew 4:1
- “And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone…” Matthew 14:23
- “ And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.” Mark 1:35
- “And when it was day, he departed and went into a desolate place. And the people sought him and came to him, and would have kept him from leaving them…” Luke 4:42
So how do we practice Christlike silence and solitude? There are a few initial steps we can take
- Create an environment where we can focus while praying. In the scriptures above, a common theme is that Jesus removed Himself from an environment that could cause distractions. How often in our own lives do we begin to pray, only to be interrupted by the sound of a phone notification or something on the radio or TV? For me, it is ALL THE TIME. Silence requires intentionality. Creating a special space, free of distractions for you to pray will allow you to worship God without the noise of life interrupting.
- Commit to a daily set time of silence and solitude. God uses silence and solitude to speak to us, restore us, and guide us. What do you have to clear away from your schedule to make space for quiet time? We must be intentional in carving a slot into our day for silence and solitude, or it becomes easy for our quiet time to become that half-asleep in bed prayer.
- Enjoy silence in the presence of the Lord. Noise can be both audible and mental. There are times where our thoughts distract us from being fully present with God. Taking a moment for quiet meditation in prayer creates a heart posture where God can speak, and we can listen. Donald Whitney points out that ultimately, this can and should be life giving, “As daily sleep and rest refresh the body, so daily silence and solitude refresh the soul.”
So if you find yourself longing to put this discipline into practice, here is the challenge for the week:
- Designate an area in your home where you can be with God with minimal distractions.
- Find a daily time where you can go to this location and pray. Inform the members of your household of this schedule so they know to respect your silence and solitude.
- Begin your quiet time with a prayer for God to silence your thoughts. Then proceed to enjoy a few silent moments in His presence before beginning your bible study or prayer.
As we create our environment of stillness and silence, we will begin to feel the peace that we can find in the presence of God. As we practice solitude, God will reveal His will to us. I know it will be difficult to mute the distractions that fill our daily lives, but it will be so worth it. In a world full of noise and chaos, let’s remember to prioritize solitude and silence with the creator of the universe.
