We wake up to our phone’s dinging. The shower stall is filled with music. The TV is on in the bedroom. The house is filled with Spotify. We exit the house with earbuds in our head. Car is tuned to Sirius XM, singing our favourite tunes as we commute.

We are assaulted with music in the elevator, in the mall, in the store, and the worst yet, while we are on hold, waiting because a recording said “our call was important to them.” Considering the chatter at work, the noise on the street, the incessant pull towards social media; when, I ask, do you experience “noiseless moments”? We are lost in a world of noise.

Silence. Stillness. Solitude.

Want to experience something fantastic, spiritually invigorating, and a little scary? Sit with Jesus in complete silence for 20 minutes. No music, no talking, no videos, just you and Jesus in silence sitting together. 

While teaching on prayer, Jesus said, if you want to meet with me, go into a room, shut the door – alone, and hang with me there.(Matthew 6:6) Jesus practiced this a lot. In the height of his ministry, we see these instructive words, “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. (emphasis mine)(Luke 5:15-16)

Now, I like to sing and shout, and be stimulated with the best music, pray with loud voice, and connect to the web, but if I want to hear the Father’s voice, I need to also practice silence, solitude, and stillness in my body and my spirit.

A word of caution is in order. This will not be easy at first. Your mind will wander. You will remember a dozen things that suddenly seem really important to do. Time will move slow. But hang in there. Wait on God. Gently bring your mind back to Jesus. Imagine Jesus with you, allow your spirit and Jesus to connect.

When you are done, journal on your experience, recording what you sensed God was saying and how you feel.

During the month of September I am going to be speaking about PRAYING IN A NEW WAY. Solitude is a good place to start.

If you want to know more about the practice of solitude as a spiritual discipline, please email me at pastorjim@kcfoffice.com

August 25, 2022