Loving Silence and Solitude

Encounter: Sit with the scriptures from this weeks 730+ and the Lectio 365.

Reflect: Does God call you to know Him more deeply. What would that look like for you in your busy and probably noisy day? Stop here for 2-3 minutes and simply breathe slowly and focus upon the breath that God gives to you.

Week three of our lenten journey provides another look at a desert father, Macarius of Egypt. The consistent theme of the three desert fathers thus far is that they left everything behind and sought out a place away from the distractions of their time to draw closer to God.

Henri Nouwen writes in his book Reaching Out - The Three Movements of the Spiritual Life, “…that it would be sad if we considered this essential aspect of the spiritual life as a privilege of monks and hermits.” He goes on to say, “It seems more important than ever to stress that solitude is one of the human capacities that can exist, be maintained and developed in the center of a big city, in the middle of a large crowd and in the context of a very active and productive life. A man or woman who has developed this solitude of heart is no longer pulled apart by the most divergent stimuli of the surrounding world but is able to perceive and understand this world from a quiet inner center.”

In a nutshell, silence and solitude is possible where we are. We don’t have to go to a desert or a forest in order to escape the distractions of the world around us to be in God’s presence and hear Him.

In Matthew 6:6, Jesus tells us when we pray, go into your room.

But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

The Greek for “Room” is tameion and can be translated into inner room.

In the context of Jesus’ time, the inner room would be something like a pantry in our time. However, when we tie tameion with Henri Nouwens writing, we can draw a conclusion the inner room or inner heart is where we go to seek God in prayer. To do this, we must find a way to block out our surroundings of distractions and seek God in prayer in our inner room (Heart).

It may be necessary to find a place away from distractions to practice this time with God in order to develop the ability to go to your inner heart in a crowded space, or a very busy day.

The key is to practice taking the time each day to be in silence with God. Pray to Him what is on your heart, read some scripture or listen to the 730+ or Lectio 365, and then sit in silence and listen for God to move in and through your time with Him.

Watch this week’s Lectio 365 Lenten series video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyBH2fDqOEs

Spiritual Practice: Block off some time in your schedule and find a place with minimal to no distractions (Maybe even put away your phone for this time). From Ruth Haley Barton’s book, Sacred Rhythms, Breathe deeply, focussing on your breath for 8-10 breaths. "Picture a tree and the sun shinning down upon the tree. Now simply sit quietly at the base of the tree. This tree represents your life. Begin to notice what is true about you these days. Don’t rush or try to make anything happen. Let your soul venture out and say something to you that perhaps you have had a hard time acknowledging: Is there a particular joy you are celebrating? A loss you are grieving? Are there tears that have been waiting to be shed? A question that is stirring? An emotion that needs expression?

Sit with what comes into your awareness, becoming conscious of God’s presence with you in that awareness. Don’t try to do anything with what you are knowing except be with it. Feel the difference between trying to fix it and just being with it. Feel the difference between doing something with it and resting with it. Feel the difference between trying to fight it and letting God fight for you. What does it mean for you to be still and let God fight (or work) for you in this particular area? Exodus 14:13-14

Practice this way of entering into solitude regularly until it becomes routine for you to begin your times in solitude by being quiet and letting your soul come out and rest in God’s presence."

Gather - Small Group Reflection Questions

1. Do you resist or avoid silence in your life?

2. When you do find yourself quiet and alone, what thoughts and feelings tend to bubble up to the surface?

3. In the video, Pete talked about the demon who was powerless against Macarius because of his humility. Discuss the ways in which you see a correlation between silence and solitude, and humility. Conversely, how can constant noise and busyness lead to pride in our lives?

4. The Psalmist says, “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). Do you find being still in God’s presence an easy or a difficult thing to do? What do you think the Psalmist means by “know” in this verse?

5. Sabbath is an opportunity to resist the constant pressure to produce, and instead to stop, and trust that God is in control. Do you find it uncomfortable when you feel as if you aren’t achieving and producing? How could you try and practice Sabbath this Lent?