Silence and solitude allow us time and space to hear.
Noise! It’s all around us. In the midst of the noise it’s difficult, if not impossible, to hear. The process of discipleship requires us to hear both ourselves and God. In silence and solitude we wrestle with our thoughts, both good and bad. We unpack our emotions and their causes. In silence and solitude we make space to pray and hear from God.
Blaise Pascal once said, “All of humanity's problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone.” I think that’s a little exaggerated as humans have much deeper problems than what can be solved by sitting in quiet room alone. Yet, he has a point. Silence and solitude are vitally important in the Christian life…and we are starved for it in our modern culture.
*Solitude is different than isolation. Isolation is an unhealthy lifestyle that often leads to loneliness and despair. In isolation the value of community is nonexistent. By contrast, the practice of solitude exists alongside the value of community. It is a willing, temporary commitment to step away for a time to be alone with God, with the intention of returning to the community.
To Get Started
- Find a quiet space.
- Start small: take 10 minutes and sit in silence.
- Breath slowly: breath in for 5 sec and out for 5 sec.
- Ask the Lord to direct your thoughts.
- Distractions are going to come to your mind. That’s ok. This is a practice remember. It’ll take some practice to learn to focus your mind on God and your thoughts. Here are some helpful tips:
- Pray through your thoughts first: your worries, fears, excitements, etc.
- When your thoughts wander view it as another opportunity to come back to God.
Additional Resources
If you’re looking for further exploration of this practice check out this link below. These courses are great to go through with a few friends.
