Solitude and Silence

Solitude

“For God alone, my soul waits in silence, for my hope is from Him.” Psalm 62

Solitude is a discipline of stepping away from dependency on others, to enter into intimacy with God alone. It is like fasting, only from relationships.

Silence

Have you ever noticed how noisy the world is? We are constantly listening to music, hearing the television, being distracted by the conversations around us, and just filling our lives with distractions. Those noises keep us distracted enough to ignore pain, or tension, or imbalance in our life. Times of silence and solitude give us room to hear better—both our own thoughts and feelings, and the voice of God.

Outside Silence

To experience silence, first eliminate outside noises. You need to turn off your cell-phone, music player, and any other electronic device. Natural sounds, such as the ocean, can actually enhance a silence and solitude experience.

Inside Silence

The second, and harder silence is to quiet the voices in your heart and head. Silence and solitude can bring a peaceful, refreshing, restful time in God’s presence.

You may also find you are doing battle against tempting or disturbing thoughts, feelings, or desires. You may feel anxious about the list of things you need to do when you get home. Or you may find you are daydreaming.

Don’t be hard on yourself.

As you seek silence, thank God for the moments when you are able to concentrate. And when you find you are distracted, laugh it off and come back to focus. Even a few minutes of quiet communion with God today will be more than you would have done if you weren’t trying. With practice, it becomes more natural for you to enter into silence with God.

Ask the Lord what He might want to show you right now. It may be His agenda for your time, after all. If it is a weakness, a temptation, a regret, a sin, remember that in the grace of Christ, you can come to the Lord without shame or fear, for He knows you and loves you and desires to make the most of your time together.