Psalm 46:10-11 New American Standard Bible 1995
10 “[a]Cease striving and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the [b]nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”
11 The Lord of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah.
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
You and I have been given the invaluable gift of communication with God.
From my recent devotionals we learned about the process of making the soil of our hearts soft and more receptive to God.
In our coming devotional efforts we’ll try to learn some different ways to receive the seed of his word. May your communion with God flourish as you engage in continual conversation with your loving, present heavenly Father.
God Speaks in Solitude
Matthew 6:5-6 New American Standard Bible 1995
5 “When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners [a]so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 6 But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.
Solitude—a time set apart where the rush, the noise, and the anxiety of the world may finally fall mute on the ears and heart of a child of God completely in need of “alone time” with God, lost inside the peace, presence of their Creator.
Solitude is a private time to be spent with your heavenly Father, free from the myriad of distractions which the world offers us at seemingly every moment.
We are made for consistent time spent in solitude.
C.S. Lewis wrote in The Weight of Glory,
“We live, in fact, in a world starved for solitude, silence, and private: and therefore starved for meditation and true friendship.”
Most of us have grown accustomed to what truly does amount to being “starved” for solitude.
We never fully realize how great our need is to be alone with our Sustainer.
Let’s take some time today to recognize our need for solitude and then learn how to best practice solitude on a daily basis.
You can know that you need solitude for one reason—Jesus needed it.
All over the New Testament we see examples of Jesus going off on his own to pray.
One example, Mark 1:35, tells us Jesus, “rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark . . . departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.”
Jesus, who practiced perfect communion with his heavenly Father while here on earth still needed to spend time in solitude.
Jesus, who loved parties, loved people, and was God and man simultaneously, knew he still needed time alone.
If he needed it, you and I can be sure we need it.
When God incarnate was up against his hardest task, the Crucifixion, he didn’t just toughen up and get through it – He spent much time alone in the Garden of Gethsemane in a deep tearful heartfelt conversation with his heavenly Father.
Matthew 26:36-46 New American Standard Bible 1995
The Garden of Gethsemane
36 Then Jesus *came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and *said to His disciples, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” 37 And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be grieved and distressed. 38 Then He *said to them, “My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and keep watch with Me.”
39 And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.” 40 And He *came to the disciples and *found them sleeping, and *said to Peter, “So, you men could not keep watch with Me for one hour? 41 Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
42 He went away again a second time and prayed, saying, “My Father, if this cannot pass away unless I drink it, Your will be done.” 43 Again He came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. 44 And He left them again, and went away and prayed a third time, saying the same thing once more. 45 Then He *came to the disciples and *said to them, “[a]Are you still sleeping and resting? Behold, the hour is at hand and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 Get up, let us be going; behold, the one who betrays Me is at hand!”
He needed solitude to accomplish his purpose here on earth and so do you and I.
Solitude is life-giving.
It’s necessary to the Christian spiritual life.
Richard J. Foster said, “Loneliness is inner emptiness. Solitude is inner fulfillment.”
Solitude is one of the most important and life-giving spiritual disciplines.
If you want to hear God, you must practice solitude.
If you want fortitude in your life, a steadfastness that surpasses your circumstances, you must practice solitude.
You are designed for time spent in the quiet, simply, exclusively, being with your heavenly Father.
So how can you best practice solitude?
The first step is finding a place where you can spend time with God free from distractions.
Find a place where you know you won’t be interrupted.
If you live with others, find a time when they will not be around or awake.
If you live alone, designate a place and time that you will spend in solitude free from any distractions.
Second, give yourself an amount of time to spend with God just being in solitude.
It could be ten minutes or an hour.
Spend this time free from reading, free from worship or prayer unless solitude leads you to those things.
Madeleine L’Engle said, “Deepest communion with God is beyond words, on the other side of silence.”
Solitude is a point of deep communion where words aren’t required in light of God’s glorious nearness.
Take some time today to practice the incredible discipline of solitude.
Be patient with yourself.
Be patient with God.
Fill the emptiness of silence with the satisfaction of God’s presence.
Your heavenly Father loves just simply spending time with you, enjoying deep communion with his crown of creation.
You are his beloved child.
Climb into the comforting and sustaining arms of your heavenly Father today as you enter into a time of solitude.
One More Point: Some Thoughts About Silent Prayer
Psalm 46:10-11 New American Standard Bible 1995
10 “[a]Cease striving and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the [b]nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”
11 The Lord of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah.
Matthew 6:5-6 New American Standard Bible 1995
5 “When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners [a]so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 6 But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.
We might think of “silent prayer” as communicating with God not by speaking words aloud but by saying them in our minds.
But prayer does not always require words.
In fact, Jesus cautioned that using “many words” in prayer could become like babbling (see Matthew 6:7).
Matthew 6:7 New American Standard Bible 1995
7 “And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words.
Being still, without using words, can help us reflect on the majesty, power, beauty, love, and other characteristics of God.
We need to be clear, though, that this is different from meditation that views silence as a way to empty the mind of thoughts, to connect with one’s “inner self.”
The command to “be still” in Psalm 46 has nothing to do with that—and is actually the opposite.
Notice that the words “be still” in verse 10 are immediately followed by the instruction to know God.
Prayer helps us grow in our knowledge of God, and knowing the heart of God is what enables us to be still in his presence.
As Psalm 46 indicates, God is both powerful and kind.
Our troubled hearts are quieted when we find our refuge in him.
Some Bible versions include the Hebrew word Selah after verses 3, 7, and 11 in Psalm 46, and that may help us understand this point.
Scholars aren’t sure what Selah means, but it seems to signal a pause and also perhaps an unknown period of time of reflection.
Practice being silent in God’s presence.
Quiet reflection intensifies prayer as the mind is filled with thoughts of God.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Guided Prayer:
1. Find a place free from distractions.
Ask the Spirit to calm your heart and mind and help you to spend time in deep communion with God.
2. Spend a few minutes simply resting with God in solitude.
“And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.” Mark 1:35
“Deepest communion with God is beyond words, on the other side of silence.” Madeleine L’Engle
3. Write down how solitude made you feel.
If you felt uncomfortable or frustrated, that’s alright! Solitude and silence is something most of us have never practiced so have patience with yourself.
Solitude is a practice.
The more you do it the better and more fulfilling it will become.
Once you connect with God’s heart free of words and just look at him face to face, his gaze will become one of the most important parts of your life.
Knowing experientially that your heavenly Father sees you and loves you is meant to be at the foundation of everything you do.
Commit yourself to spend time in solitude with God and learn what it is to be a child simply enjoyed by the Father.
Lord, thank you for enabling me to be still in your presence. You are my strength, and I trust in you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Psalm 23 New American Standard Bible 1995
The Lord, the Psalmist’s Shepherd.
A Psalm of David.
23 The Lord is my shepherd,
I [a]shall not want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside [b]quiet waters.
3 He restores my soul;
He guides me in the [c]paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk through the [d]valley of the shadow of death,
I fear no [e]evil, for You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You [f]have anointed my head with oil;
My cup overflows.
6 [g]Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life,
And I will [h]dwell in the house of the Lord [i]forever.
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
Loving God, Living God, Loving Hope, Living Hope, Loving Living Life His Way! "Many things are possible for the person who has hope. Even more is possible for the person who has faith. And still more is possible for the person who knows how to love. But everything is possible for the person who practices all three virtues." - Brother Lawrence (1605-1691), Practicing the Presence of God (1692). 