Spiritual Practices: Silence and Solitude

This Fall the whole church will be walking together through a number of weeks introducing and describing Christian “spirituality,” or “Spiritual Practices.” We’re aiming to address questions like: “How do I grow?” and “How do I get close to God?” 

We’re continuing this week with silence and solitude.

We live in a noisy time. I remember my freshman year in college (when iPods were still a) something produced and used and b) cool) the shock and dismay of upperclassmen and professors when they’d see folks walking around campus with those white and white-corded Apple headphones in their ears. It was thrilling to walk around with your own entire collection of CDs in your pocket, listening to whatever you wanted, whenever you wanted. 

That all seems quaint and a bit silly 20 years later, because of how far we’ve gone down that path. We’re almost never quiet. There are 31 million podcast episodes released every year. That's 20+ million hours of noise just from podcasts every year. 

None of that stuff was around when Jesus was around, and he still thought things were too noisy. Very regularly the gospels record him going off to a quiet place to pray. “Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed,” Luke tells us (Luke 5:16). 

It is hard to hear the voice of God always. It’s harder to hear it when we are surrounded constantly by noise. For the whole history of the Church, Christians have followed Jesus in this way to be alone, to be quiet, to see what might emerge from within us, and how God might be drawing us more deeply into his life. 

Scripture to consider:

• Matthew 14:32-42

  
  

Questions for your kids

• I wonder: Have you ever been really far out in the countryside, where it is very quiet? What was that like for you?

• I wonder: What are some ways you can find quiet and solitude in your life?

  
  

Peace,

Danny+