“Solitude is the place of the great struggle and great encounter—the struggle is against the compulsions of the self, and the encounter is with the loving God who offers himself as the substance life.””
Can I be honest with you? The rhythm of silence and solitude has been the most difficult spiritual rhythm to develop in my life of faith. This is a bit surprising to me as I tend to be introverted in how I recover from the busyness of life AND I was theologically trained by the Quakers who are famous for having cultivated a significant rhythm of quiet attention to God’s presence. Go figure.
There’s no getting around the fact that silence and solitude as spiritual practices are not easy to incorporate. One of the difficulties of this spiritual rhythm comes when we realize just how “noisy” our inner reality is. Not only that but like Elijah in 1 Kings 19, the fear, stress, and anxiety we experience in life can leave us disillusioned, burnt out, angry, and lashing out at others or even God. This experience can leave us feeling spiritually deformed rather than transformed. Henri Nouwen writes:
“In solitude, I get rid of my scaffolding: no friends to talk with, no telephone calls to make, no meetings to attend, no music to entertain, no books to distract, just me — vulnerable, weak, sinful, deprived, and broken.”
At first, that doesn’t sound so pleasant, until you realize that, the heart of this practice is to invite Jesus into that place of vulnerability. And as a reminder, God is a good father, loving, full of mercy and grace. There is nothing like having him speak life into the depths of your being.
In the scripture, Jesus began his ministry with forty days of withdrawal into the desert. He fasted and prayed in silence and solitude. He was alone, hungry, hot, thirsty, surrounded by animals, and tested by Satan. We read this and we might feel sorry for Jesus as we empathize with his situation.
The truth is that Jesus was sustained throughout his forty days by the Father, the Scriptures, prayer, and the ministering angels that came to strengthen him. Throughout Jesus’ ministry we see him withdraw from the crowds again and again – often getting up early in the morning to be quiet and alone. Henri Nouwen continues:
“Solitude is the place of great struggle and great encounter—the struggle is against the compulsions of the self, and the encounter is with the loving God who offers himself as the substance life.”
That is something I desperately want - Jesus to be the focus, purpose, and substance of my life. These things can be developed in silence and solitude.
How do I develop a rhythm of silence and solitude:
Schedule it - put it on your calendar. Heathy spiritual rhythms are as important as anything else that would normally go on your to-do list.
Start Slow - Silence & Solitude are practices that get easier over time. Don’t dive into the deep end and start with a long period of silence or solitude. Start with 5 minutes and go from there.
Anchor your thoughts in Scripture - as you begin this practice you’ll notice how distracted your thoughts are, that’s okay. To aid you as you focus on the Lord’s presence, memorize a verse or a phrase in scripture that you can repeat to yourself as you work through the distractions.
Bring a Journal - Journaling is helpful in two ways: first, you can write down all your distractions letting them move from your mind and heart onto the page. That can free you to focus on God’s presence. Second, you can write down anything you might get from the Lord as you linger in prayer.
Don’t give up - five minutes, at first, will feel like two-hours, but don’t give up it will get easier. Your motivation will change as you begin to form a deeper intimacy with God - soon you will look forward to your opportunities for silence and solitude.
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