Post #34 -- The Gift of Silence and Solitude

I love my hearing aids.  I value the fact that they help me hear better, but even more, I love that when I don’t want to hear, I can turn them off! 😀 

Through the years I’ve learned that we tend to live in an air bubble of thick impregnable walls — walls of “busyness” and “noise” such that we simply can not hear God when He tries to speak to us.  And in a sense until that wall is broken down, we’re on our own.  God is unable to guide us through life — and the enemy loves it.  

Our last post focused on “The Gift of Margin” in which we looked at the importance of slowing down in our exceptionally busy culture.  The purpose of this post is to discover  what God says about silence and solitude and explore how we might experience this more fully.  We’ll look at how both gifts — the gift of margin and the gift of silence and solitude — help us truly thrive.

Ruth Haley Barton, in her insightful book, Invitation to Solitude and Silence, shares a comment from her spiritual director — “Ruth, you are like a jar of river water all shaken up.  What you need to do is sit long enough that the sediment can settle and the water can become clear.”  It seems that in today’s busy culture we all need to “sit long enough” to allow the distractions of life to settle out so that we can see life as God intends it to be.  But sitting quietly seems to be something that simply does not come easily.

As I sit here writing, the house is totally quiet — except in the distance I hear the wailing siren of an emergency vehicle of some sort penetrating my quiet thoughts.  I pray for a moment for God’s intervention in the crisis that is occurring, but I also complain to the Lord that even when I try to be quiet, I can not.  Yes, silence and solitude can be very difficult to find and we probably won’t find either without God’s help and an exceptional, intentional effort on our part.

But let’s first define our terms.  According to Webster, silence is “absence of sound or noise” whereas solitude is “the quality or state of being alone or remote from society”. This is about the spiritual, emotional, and physical value of being alone in quietness.

WHAT GOD SAYS ABOUT SILENCE AND SOLITUDE

Scripture is quite clear that God desires us to experience silence and solitude.

• “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”  (Psalm 46:10)
• “For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, ‘In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.’’”  (Isaiah 30:15)
• “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!”  (Psalm 37:37)
• “Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him.”  (Psalm 62:1)
• “Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him.”  (Psalm 62:5)
• “The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.”  (Exodus. 14:14)

Jesus set the example.  It is obvious that in silence and solitude He found His place of strength.

• Before He chose the 12 … “Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God.” (Luke 6:12)
• “And he said to them, ‘Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.’ For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat.”  (Mark 6:31)
• Upon hearing of the death of John the Baptist … “He withdrew by boat to a solitary place to pray.”  (Matt 14:13)
• After feeding the 5,000 … “He went up onto a mountainside by himself to pray.” (Matt 14:23)
• “But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.”  (Luke 5:16)

God is obviously placing a high priority on our ability to carve out time for silence and solitude from our busy lifestyles.

WHY THE PRACTICE OF SILENCE AND SOLITUDE IS IMPORTANT

Let me suggest seven practical reasons for pursuing the regular practice of intentional silence and solitude -- practical reasons whether one is an introvert or an extrovert.

God designed us for some silence and solitude.  From the previous verses it’s clear that God intends for us to experience some silence and solitude in our regular lives to help us see life with clarity.  Jesus obviously felt a need for it. 

The regular practice of silence and solitude makes us more sensitive to hearing the voice of the Lord.  Willam Barkley writes, “It may be that the whole trouble in our lives is that we give God no opportunity to speak to us because we do not know how to be still and to listen; we give God no time to recharge us with spiritual energy and strength because there’s no time when we wait upon Him.” 

Reducing the “noise” and other distractions enables God in a special way to enter our space and speak valuable insight to us.  Peter Scazzero says, “Solitude is the practice of being absent from people and things to attend to God.”

Practicing silence and solitude enhances a sense of being “rested” in the Lord.

Billy Graham once remarked, “Nothing can calm our souls more or better prepare us for life’s challenges than time spent alone with God.”  Especially when we’re in stressful circumstances we can learn to maintain a silent center, a stillness of soul that flows in God’s peace.  We come into this peace by joining with Jesus in silence and solitude. As we go into the solitary place with the Lord, He purges our souls of the distractions, anxieties, and sins that rise to the surface. Then his Holy Spirit like a dove settles on us and leaves us with the gift of peace and a deep and soul-full sense of well-being.

Practicing silence and solitude rejuvenates one’s mind and makes us more creative.  When you are able to escape from the “noise” of life and the opinions of others, you are able to tap into your inner self. This allows you to connect with yourself and others through your ideas.  It can bring out a level of creativity that you most likely will not experience if you never take the time to be quiet and alone. 

It allows for self assessment & evaluation.  For years I have been trying to spend a  day once a month alone with the Lord in extended silence and solitude.  Less frequently I’d also find a nearby retreat center for three or so days of uninterrupted silence and solitude.  Admittedly, at first the solitude nearly drove me crazy.  But in time this came to be a strong highlight for me and I think I can safely say that much of my life was shaped during these times alone with the Lord.  In these extended times I could spend more time in prayer and the Word, and without the “noise” around me I could reflect deeply over what God was doing (or not doing) in my life.  It was primarily during these times that I could look honestly at my life and “hear” the voice of the Lord with my heart, gently shaping me into His plan for me.  It was my time of assessment and evaluation.  Over the years I’ve noticed with some regularity that if I failed to carve out this time in any given month, the following month was generally more chaotic than normal.  I would not trade these times for anything.

It helps us find our real self and plan for the future.  Thomas Merton writes — “Not all men are called to be hermits, but all men need enough silence and solitude in their lives to enable the deep inner voice of their own true self to be heard at least occasionally. When that inner voice is not heard, when man cannot attain to the spiritual peace that comes from being perfectly at one with his true self, his life is always miserable and exhausting. For he cannot go on happily for long unless he is in contact with the springs of spiritual life which are hidden in the depths of his own soul. If man is constantly exiled from his own home, locked out of his own spiritual solitude, he ceases to be a true person. He no longer lives as a man.” 

The practice of silence and solitude will enhance our physical and emotional well being.  Google the internet on the value of silence and solitude and you’ll be bombarded with article after article about the physical and mental health benefits of silence and solitude — benefits like greater mental clarity, better decision-making, and an ability to connect with others in a meaningful way.  Silence and solitude help us to be relaxed, and when we’re relaxed our body’s natural repair mechanisms are enhanced and we heal faster.

CAN SILENCE AND SOLITUDE HELP US THRIVE?

So can practicing the discipline of silence and solitude help us move from simply surviving to really thriving?  

In summary, the practice of silence and solitude enhances my relationship with the Lord, helps me find my true self, assists me in finding a place of rest for my soul, causes me to sensitively hear the voice of the Lord as he shapes my character, and helps me improve my physical and mental well-being.  With all these phenomenal benefits can I thrive and experience the fulfilled life in the midst of chaos?  I certainly can!!