Driving on the beltline around Charlotte NC I noticed all the frantic driving, the hurried people, driven to get somewhere. In our noisy, frantic world, it's hard to hear the still small voice of God. The constant input and demands on our attention can leave us feeling overwhelmed, anxious, and hopeless. But the Bible invites us to "Be still and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10). When we intentionally step away from the noise and busyness into solitude and silence, we create space to encounter the Lord and find our hope renewed.
In the silence, we are able to quiet the inner turmoil of our minds and hearts. The worries, fears, and stresses that once consumed us lose their grip as we fix our thoughts on the eternal truths of who God is. His steady peace begins to reign again. "You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you" (Isaiah 26:3).
In the solitude, we are able to drop the masks we wear and the roles we play to simply be ourselves before our loving Father. He knows us intimately already, so there is no need to pretend or perform. We can confess our struggles, pour out our frustrations, and be authentic before Him who sees us with grace and compassion. "Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need" (Hebrews 4:16).
One of my favorite devotional writers is Henri Nouwen, Dutch Priest and Professor. He writes this about finding solitude and silence.
"Intuitively, we know that it is important to spend time in solitude. We even start looking forward to this strange period of uselessness. This desire for solitude is often the first sign of prayer, the first indication that the presence of God’s Spirit no longer remains unnoticed. As we empty ourselves of our many worries, we come to know not only with our mind but also with our heart that we never were really alone, that God’s Spirit was with us all along. Thus we come to understand what Paul writes to the Romans, “Suffering brings patience . . . and patience brings perseverance, and perseverance brings hope, and this hope is not deceptive, because the love of God has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit which has been given to us” (Romans 5:4–5). In solitude, we come to know the Spirit who has already been given to us. The pains and struggles we encounter in our solitude thus become the way to hope, because our hope is not based on something that will happen after our sufferings are over, but on the real presence of God’s healing Spirit in the midst of these sufferings. The discipline of solitude allows us gradually to come in touch with this hopeful presence of God in our lives, and allows us also to taste even now the beginnings of the joy and peace that belong to the new heaven and the new earth."
You can join the Henri Nouwen Society, here >> https://henrinouwen.org
Comments