The Spiritual Discipline Of Solitude

The Spiritual Discipline Of Solitude

My guess is that as an American Christian you never even knew that Solitude is a Christian Discipline and that it has been practiced by believers all around the world for centuries.  Solitude is also different from the practice of silence, another Spiritual Discipline. The reason and model for the practice of Solitude are the life of Jesus.  Solitude is also an important component of Christ-Centered Slow Living.

I have to be honest with you, as an extroverted mother of six children, the spiritual discipline of Solitude has been hard to achieve but not impossible.  It has taken much prayer and intentional choices to incorporate this life-changing spiritual discipline.  Solitude is anything but boring…God is waiting for you there!

The Spiritual Discipline Of Solitude

The sort of solitude that refreshes the Christian soul is more than just separation from other people. Scriptural solitude is the biblical practice of temporarily withdrawing to privacy for spiritual purposes. The period of solitude may last only a few minutes or for days. Generally, it is sought in order to engage in other spiritual disciplines without the distractions typical in the presence of people.

While Jesus is much more than our example, nevertheless He is our example, including our model for spirituality. He pursued times of solitude. The gospel accounts tell us Jesus often got alone, not just for rest and a change of pace, but also that He might spend time in communion with His heavenly Father.

• In Matthew 4:1-11, Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, and He was alone there for 40 days, except for when the devil came to tempt Him.
• “And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone” (Matthew 14:23).
• “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).
• “And when it was day, he departed and went into a desolate place” (Luke 4:42).

Jesus not only modeled prayer in solitude, He exhorted us to do the same: “But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret.” (Matthew 6:6).

– Donald Witney

How To Practice Solitude

The first five minutes of actively practicing Solitude can be very difficult.  At least I find it so.  Transitioning from the noise of everyday life to silence is jarring and can sometimes be uncomfortable.  It will be OK and gets easier with time.  Keep pressing on, I find that taking a few slow deep breaths and praying through The Lord’s Prayer helps with this transitioning period. Let the words of The Lord’s Prayer melt into your heart.

Open in prayer.  Pay attention to what is going on in your soul.  Talk with God about what’s on your heart, sit and listen to the Holy Spirit’s response.  *One word of caution, remember that our minds are filled with our own thoughts.  Discerning which thoughts are God’s and which are ours can be hard.  One way to discern God’s voice is to compare what He says to you through Scripture.  He will never contradict himself and his voice will always confirm scripture.  Seek counsel from your pastor, elders or Christian mentors.

Be mindful of how you are feeling, ask God to show you why and what the root cause of the feelings are if you need to.

Solitude is often combined with the spiritual disciplines of Prayer and Meditation.  So feel free to crack open your Bible and interact with Jesus through His Word.

The refreshment of your spirit,

the renewal of your mind,

and the comfort of the salvation you have in Jesus,

are just a few of the benefits

of practicing the spiritual discipline of Solitude.

Making Time for Solitude

• One of the easiest ways to implement the practice of Solitude is to take a bi-yearly retreat alone to focus on prayer and listening to God. If you are able to schedule this into your life then go for it!
• Insitute a daily quiet time in your home.  Little children can nap, and children who are older and don’t nap can spend half an hour reading or play quietly on their beds.  As a mother, resist the temptation to “do” something and practice solitude instead.
• Go for a prayer walk through the woods or a nearby park that has a trail in the woods.
• Take 10 minutes to sit in silence and think about the greatness of God.
• Turn your cell phone off for an hour, no music, no talk, nothing but the voice of God.
• Consider scheduling an hour of Solitude each week.  Ask your husband to watch the kids, swap childcare with a friend, or even hire a babysitter.
• Start Praying The Hours.
• Change up your location while practicing the spiritual discipline of Solitude.  Outside, inside, different places within your home.
• Curl up under your covers in bed and sit in silence, slowly read a verse from the Bible and meditate on it.

I found this quote by Henri Nouwen, a beautiful example of the practice of solitude. ” Solitude is the furnace of transformation. Without solitude, we remain the victims of our society and continue to be entangled in the illusions of the false self.”

GO DEEPER

YOUR TURN…

Comment below, what’s your biggest obstacle to practicing the spiritual discipline of Solitude?

Blessings,