Silence and Solitude

Bottomline: Its hard to hear from God if you are not listening, and its hard to listen if your never away from the noise.

Mark 1 35 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 6 31 Jesus said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” 32 So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place.

Matthew 14 13 When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place.

Luke 5 - Story of Jesus healing man with leprosy… 15 Yet the news about him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. 16 But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.

In Luke, Jesus went to his quiet place no less than nine times.

For Jesus, silence and solitude were essential disciplines.

Silence and solitude help posture our hearts and our minds for surrender to Jesus.

Just from a psychology perspective: A 2011 World Health Organization report called noise pollution a “modern plague,” (Totally making a joke about W.H.O.) concluding that “there is overwhelming evidence that exposure to environmental noise has adverse effects on the health of the population.”

Story of Elijah After the fire came a whisper. - 1 Kings 19:12

Hebrew word for whisper is demamah, can be translated as “silence”.

Whispering is typically employed for the sake of secrecy. No form of communication is more intimate. And it seems to be God’s preferred method… We have to lean in to hear it. -Mark Batterson, Whisper

The goal of silence is intimacy with God. (And God wants relationship with you) Silence empties us from the noise of the world so we

A survey from Microsoft found that 77 percent of young adults answered “ ‘yes’ when asked, ‘When nothing is occupying my attention, the first thing I do is reach for my phone.’

The noise of the modern world makes us deaf to the voice of God, drowning out the one input we most need. -John Mark Comer

Being silent before God and listen…is an invitation into intimacy with Christ.

There are moments in solitude that cannot happen in any other context.

The goal of solitude is intimacy with God. Solitude forces us to surrender ourselves totally and unconditionally to God’s presence. Solitude strips us of the false self.

Solitude is engagement; isolation is escape. Solitude is safety; isolation is danger.

Henri Nouwen said it bluntly, yet eloquently: Without solitude it is virtually impossible to live a spiritual life…. We do not take the spiritual life seriously if we do not set aside some time to be with God and listen to him.

Practical Steps - Silence and solitude don’t happen by default; they happen by design.

1. Identify your sacred space and time. -Hiking, walking, golfing, swimming, back patio, bike ride, hammock

2. Begin with a modest goal. - five minutes of silence, no phone for 30 minutes,

3. Settle into a comfortable yet alert physical position. - open Bible but don’t read, face first on floor, open hands

4. Ask God to give you a simple prayer that expresses your openness and desire for God.

Its hard to hear from God if you are not listening, and its hard to listen if your never away from the noise.

Some Examples:

Be still and know that I am God

Be still and know that I am

Be still and know

Be still

Be.

St. Patrick’s Prayer (adapted)

God above me,

God beneath me,

God before me,

God behind me,

God within me.

Come Holy Spirit