From Katie Whitmire
Prayers to Lead us into Solitude
I pause, Father, to commune with you. Help me to be still and know that you are God. Ease awhile any tense muscles or strained nerves or wrought-up emotions. Let me be relaxed in body and calm in spirit so that I may be more responsive to your presence. I pause, Father, to commune with you. Amen
Roy E. Dickerson in Daily Prayer Companion
Who am I really? What do you see in me that you would move heaven and earth to capture my heart? My life feels like a collection of other people’s expectations and disappointments. I do not even know anymore who I truly am. Reveal to me my true identity, my true place in your story. Give me grace to hear your voice; shut out all other voices, and let me hear from you alone.
From The Sacred Romance by John Eldridge
Lord teach me to listen. The times are noisy and my ears are weary with the thousand raucous sounds which continuously assault them. Give me the spirit of the boy Samuel when he said to thee, “Speak for thy servant heareth.” Let me hear thee speaking in my heart. Let me get used to the sound of thy voice, that its tones may be familiar when the sounds of earth die away and the only sound will be the music of thy speaking voice.”
From The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer
Readings and Meditations on Solitude
“In
Retire from the world each day to some private spot even if it
Settle yourself in Solitude and you will come upon him in yourself. – Teresa of Avila
The fruit of solitude is increased sensitivity and compassion for others. There comes
Without
By participating in Christian Disciplines, we live out our desire and intention to cooperate with the Holy Spirit. As we do so, we are encouraged, instructed, healed, challenged, loved, renewed, and beckoned to God and godly living.
While it is true that God is in every when and where and that many other things besides disciplines contribute to our deepening relationship with God, w discover that it makes
He is the one who can tell us the reason for our existence, our place in the scheme of things, our real identity. It is an identity we can’t discover for ourselves, that others can’t discover in us– the mystery of who we really are. How we have chased around the world for answers to that riddle, looked into the eyes of others for some hint, some clue, hunted the multiple worlds of pleasure and experience and self-fulfillment for some glimpse, some revelation, some wisdom, some authority to tell us our right name and our true destination.
But there was and is
Reflection Questions
- How and when do you resist or avoid being alone?
- What tends to pop up into your mind when you are alone?
- What do you resort to doing when alone?
- What troubles you or makes you antsy about being alone?
- When have you felt most comfortable being alone? Most uncomfortable?
- What sense of God do you have when you are alone?
Spiritual Exercises
- In
a place where you can’t be interrupted, intentionally place yourself in the
presence of God. Recognize that the Lord is as near as your own breathing.
Inhale God’s breath of life; exhale all things that weigh on you. Simply be
alone with God.
- When it is time to return to others, leave the presence of God gently. Carry the sense of being alone with God with you into the next thing.
- Spend
fifteen minutes or more alone with God. You can do an activity if you wish:
walk, run, drive, iron. Dedicate the time ahead of you to God.
- After time is up, consider how it was for you to be alone with God. Was it hard? Good? Did God speak to you in any way?
- Make the time that you spend in the shower each morning your alone time with God. Present yourself to your creator—all of your body, all of the dirt that has accumulated in your soul, all that God has made you to be. Let the water from the shower remind you of the water of life that nourishes and changes you. Let the warmth touch you with love. If you like a cold shower, let the bracing impact call you to live your life to the full. Offer yourself to God for the day. Thank him for the alone time he spends with you.
- Set aside half a day [or more] for time alone with God. Go to a retreat center, quiet chapel or park. Don’t stay in your home. Take only your Bible.
From Spiritual Disciplines Handbook by Adele Ahlberg Calhoun
Resources
Spiritual Disciplines Handbook by Adele Ahlberg Calhoun
Invitation to Solitude and Silence by Ruth Haley Barton