In Solitude with the Savior: Jesus’ Quest for Silence

Reading of the Word

Luke 3:16–22 NASB 2020

John responded to them all, saying, “As for me, I baptize you with water; but He is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to untie the straps of His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in His hand to thoroughly clear His threshing floor, and to gather the wheat into His barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” So with many other exhortations he preached the gospel to the people. But when Herod the tetrarch was reprimanded by him regarding Herodias, his brother’s wife, and regarding all the evil things which Herod had done, Herod also added this to them all: he locked John up in prison. Now when all the people were baptized, Jesus also was baptized, and while He was praying, heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in bodily form like a dove, and a voice came from heaven: “You are My beloved Son, in You I am well pleased.”

Luke 4:1–2 NASB 2020

Now Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led around by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And He ate nothing during those days, and when they had ended, He was hungry.

Luke 5:16 NASB 2020

But Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray.

Prayer of Illumination

Heavenly Father,

As we turn to Your Word today, open our hearts to the power of silence and solitude. Calm our minds and spirits so we can fully receive Your message. Show us how these sacred moments of stillness can draw us closer to You and help us hear Your voice more clearly.

In Jesus’ name, we pray, Amen.

Introduction

Imagine standing on the edge of a peaceful lake at dawn. The world is still, the air is crisp, and the water reflects the sky like a mirror. In that moment, there's a profound sense of peace, where even the slightest ripple or sound seems almost out of place.

Now, consider the life of Jesus. Despite the constant demands on Him—crowds seeking healing, followers needing guidance, and opponents challenging Him—He frequently withdrew to places of solitude. In these moments, He embraced silence, not as an escape, but as a necessary retreat to reconnect with His Father and refocus on His mission.

This silence wasn’t just the absence of noise; it was the presence of God. It was in these quiet moments that Jesus found the strength to continue His ministry, to face His challenges, and to pour out love to those around Him. The power of silence in Jesus’ life reminds us that in our own lives, amidst the noise and busyness, we too need moments of quiet to hear God's voice and find our true purpose.

This four-week series looks at the vital need to cultivate the spiritual practices of solitude and silence during our always-connected, digital world. Jesus, himself, modeled the importance of withdrawing from the busyness of life for times of prayer and rest. By developing practices of withdrawing, entering the secret place of prayer, resting, journaling, sharing meals with others, and celebrating communion, we, as followers of Jesus, can find physical, emotional, and mental rest and spiritual refreshing in God.

Our theme verse for this series.

The Concept of Rest

The concept of rest.

Getting away from the noise and busyness of the world to spend time in solitude.

It gets exhausting (and quick). It drives us to health and emotional problems.

Physical signs of needing rest:

1. Your resting heart rate is elevated. ...

2. You feel tired. ...

3. You're moody. ...

4. You feel sick. ...

5. You're always sore. ...

6. You've had a few bad workouts in a row. ...

7. Notice you're not getting any stronger. ...

8. You feel that you need a rest day.

If long enough, it can even lead to hallucination. Emotional signs of needing rest:

Studies show people who are sleep deprived report increases in negative moods (anger, frustration, irritability, sadness) and decreases in positive moods. And sleeplessness is often a symptom of mood disorders, such as depression and anxiety. It ultimately leads to the worst, such as heart attack, stroke and possibly death.

Hence the phrase “work yourself to death.” And the phrase “all work and no play.”

“Work is not always required. There is such a thing as sacred idleness.” -George MacDonald

Having a time of idleness is not a bad thing but is needed.

There are times where I just need to be alone. I will go to my office or bedroom, close the door and just get away from everything to just rest my mind and soul.

Wanna Get Away?

Jesus began His ministry by retreating into the wilderness alone for 40 days.

It allowed Him personal time with His Father.

There is power in silence.

He understood that without these moments of silence, His ministry would not have had the same power.

My ministry (your ministry) is powerless without spending time with God.

Allow the Holy Spirit to be the driving force behind everything you do, for it is through His guidance that your efforts become truly purposeful and impactful.

Our faith only gains its true power when we spend intimate time with our Father. Without this connection, our faith can become stale and fall short of its full potential.

Without resting in God, we end up either

Becoming stale

We crash and burn because we did too much to do much for God but it became too much and it led to much destruction and burnout.

People in this world believe that solitude makes people weak.

People believe that burnout and being extremely tired is a sign of success. If you aren’t working continuously that you are not properly providing for your family and that you are failing in life.

Poverty is more prevalent today than ever before.

The American Dream is the Christian Nightmare.

It shows that we are living for success and worldly things rather than for the things of God. People believe that if you aren’t providing for all their wants then you are doing your job correctly.

We don’t need to focus on our wants; we need our basic necessities of life to be met. There’s no need to try to keep up with the neighbors or follow the crowd.

All this does is puts you in debt that you will never be able to climb out of. Living in debt is not God’s will for the Christian. But there needs to be an element of trust that God will provide when you do your best. Your best is not killing yourself at work and missing out on the most important things of life.

Jesus realized that even though He was God in the flesh, He needed to get away and spend time alone with His heavenly Father.

The world believes that resting your body categorizes you as lazy.

If it is that important for Him, how much more important is it for us?

Jesus calls us to regularly enter places of silence and solitude to meet with God and to be strengthened for the race he has called us to.

It was through silence and solitude Jesus found strength to walk day by day in this journey of life. Jesus would not have been able to go on in His ministry and journey with the cross without time alone with His Father.

He was human, with human needs, just as we are.

He needed food and water, rest, friends and family, God. The result of His spending time in solitude is powerful!

c. He is given strength for the journey.

His strength, even though God in the flesh, is not in himself but in His Father.

The prayers that he prays throughout his ministry prove this.

This is an example that I dwelled on just sitting for 2 hours on Wednesday. I want you to dwell on this one thing this week. Jesus himself needed his Father for everything to make it through life.

In the garden, he found strength in his Father to go forward to the torture that awaited him.

He prayed to his Father for the words to speak throughout his ministry.

I spent two hours on Wednesday reflecting on this thought of Jesus finding strength in his Father, and I encourage you to focus on it this week. Jesus relied on His Father for everything to navigate life. Doesn’t this make it even more important for us to follow His example?

Following Jesus to Escape Life’s Distractions

As disciples of Jesus, we need to follow Jesus by entering into times of solitude and silence, intentionally setting aside time to withdraw from our busy, distracting world.

Jesus often “slipped away” to spend time in solitude and rest.

He put aside the work of His ministry and made this a priority in His life. He was a human just like us and had human needs. Time kept us busy with distractions. Where is Your wilderness?

The question then becomes where do we go to find rest in God?

Do you have a place you can retreat to in order to spend one on one time with Jesus? If not, find that place. The wildness was needed to prepare the Israelites to inherit the promised land. The wilderness was needed before Jesus did anything else in his ministry and ultimately to prepare him for His passion and death. If God is going to do mighty things through you, we need to enter the wilderness of silence and solitude with God so that we can prepare to be used mightily by God for His glory.

Jesus’ quest for solitude and silence is our quest too!

How do we retreat in a world of busyness and noise?

Reading His Word.

Speaking to Him in prayer.

Saying nothing and listening for His ‘still small voice.’

Listening to good music that inspires and ministers to your soul.

Journaling

Add your favorite way to connect with God.

Spending time with your family.

Putting everything aside to focus on your family.

Parents are so busy taking children to every event under the sun that they never see each other.

Events take the place of our family. They can be used to divide families. What has happened to eating around the dinner table or sitting on the porch with your family just to? Playing a game and enjoying each other’s presence. Call me old fashioned but we need to get back to this. Allowing God to help you focus on the most important ministry (your family).

Men, consume yourself in work and miss leading your family in the ways of God then you have had your focus in worldly things and not the things of God. This is our main calling, period.

I always tell my churches that my ministry before them is to take care of my family. If I cannot take care of them properly, then there is no way I will be able to lead a church in the things of God. Your family needs you! They need to feel your nurture and love. If not you, someone or something will take their place! (slides)

"A house without parents is like a temple without god" “One of the greatest gifts a parent can give their child is their presence.” “You don’t choose your family; they are God’s gift to you as you are to them.” -Desmond Tutu

We spend plenty of times at loved one’s viewings and funerals but in life we spend very little if no time with them while alive.

Pastor John and celebrating his life before his death.

To Sum it Up: As disciples of Jesus, we need to follow Jesus by entering into times of solitude and silence, intentionally setting aside time to withdraw from our busy, distracting world.

Conclusion

Resting is a strength, not a weakness. We recognize the fact that we cannot do it on our own and need a Savior to give us His grace and strength to make it through this life.

Throughout this series, we are going to find out how to rest and what this looks like. I took a class a few years ago where the author specifically focused on the concept of sabbath rest. I never realized how important it was until then. But rest is so critically needed, and our world shows the results of what happens when we choose not to rest. Rest. Relax. Have some fun. ITS OK!

Prayer After Message

Heavenly Father,

We thank You for the time we've spent in Your presence today and for the message on silence and solitude. We are grateful for the reminder of how Jesus sought quiet to connect with You and find strength.

As we leave this place, help us to apply these insights in our daily lives. Teach us to value moments of stillness and to seek Your voice amid the noise. May these practices deepen our relationship with You and strengthen our faith.

Guide us in embracing the quiet, knowing that in our solitude, we draw closer to Your presence. Equip us to reflect Your peace and grace in all we do.

In Jesus’ name, we pray,

Amen.

Benediction

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. As you go forth from this place, may you find moments of stillness and solitude that draw you closer to God.

May the peace of His presence fill your hearts and guide your steps, enabling you to live out the lessons of silence and reflection in your daily life.

Go in peace, with renewed faith and a deeper connection to the One who meets us in our quiet moments.

In the Name above all names, Jesus our Lord, we pray, Amen.