Solitude and Silence / The Unhurried Life

Discipline of Solitude and Silence

March 19, 2023

I. Introduction:

A. I will never forget the first time that I experienced solitude and

silence at the same time. It was before I knew Jesus Christ.

1. I was about 18 years old. It was not an intentional time to be

alone and in quiet but a time that came because of a broken

radio.

a. There were many times before this that I was alone but I

always had some kind of noise around me, the radio, TV,

some kind of music.

b. However, one day I had to drive up to Michigan, which was

about a three and a half hour trip. When I got into the car,

my radio did not work. I remember that about the time I

crossed the Michigan border on interstate 94, for the first

time I recognized that while my car was quiet at the same

time there was much noise going on in my head, and for the

first time in my life I came face to face with my own

thoughts.

c. It was frightening to me because my thoughts were shocking

to me. It became a very disturbing and uncomfortable trip!

2. To be honest with you, until that day I was totally out of touch

with my heart and I did not know the truth about what was

going on deep within my heart because it was always buried

under busyness and noise! And it was not pretty!

B. I love the passage in Psalm 51:6 that God desires truth in the

innermost being.

1. This is a psalm where David is confessing his sin. Read psalm

51:5-8

2. We will never find joy and gladness only with external

conformity but must have a clean heart filled with and

controlled by truth!

3. Many have the truths of this book in their heads but there is a

big disconnect between what is in their heads and what is in

their hearts.

C. I remember many years ago that I was deeply troubled about some

lies that were spreading around about me that could destroy my

reputation as a pastor.

1. A group of leaders got together to pray for me and I remember

Pastor Bill Mills prayer as it was clearly from the Lord for

me. He said this “God, I am not so concerned about the lies

going around about Pat, I am more concerned about the lies in

his heart that he is believing”

2. Wow – did he hit it. The guy with a degree from Moody Bible

Institute, Dallas Seminary and preaching every week where

truth was filling my mind and coming out of my mouth but in

my heart there was a bundle of lies about myself and God that

were not consistent with God or his word.

3. I love what Psalm 15:1-2. Read

D. Frankly, this is my concern. I think that there are many good

biblical Christians here today whose lives are so busy, so full of

demands and responsibilities, so full of noise that they have never

come face to face with their own hearts before God.

• I want to speak to you today about two practices that can help us get

in touch with our hearts and ultimately with the Lord at a deeper level

than we have ever known before. The practices are called

II. Solitude and silence

A. Solitude simply means being alone and silence means quiet.

B. They can each be done individually by themselves but are best

done and most powerful when done together

1. Often they can become watershed moments where there is a

turning point in the course of our whole lives!

2. That happened to me a number of years ago when I was leaving

for work and I slipped on some black ice – did a 180 degree and

came straight down on my back. That hurt!

a. I was home laid up in my bed for a week and I prayed, “God,

if I have to go through all this pain please use it somehow.”

b. I decided that week to read while in bed – “Hudson Taylor’s

Spiritual Secret” and God met me powerfully and changed

my life from that time on!

1. He showed me for the first time not just in my head but

to see it with the eyes of my heart that Jesus lives in me

and is my life. And that the Christian life is not about me

living for Jesus but rather Jesus living in and through and

for me!

2. Trust me it is life changing when the truth of Christ

living in you moves from your head to your heart and

you realize that the resurrected and powerful God, the

spirit of Jesus is living inside of you to be with you every

step of your life!

C. We see some examples of life changing times like this in the

Scripture:

1. Hagar alone at a spring in the wilderness when God met her and

gave her direction for her future and spoke to her about the

future of her unborn son Ishmael (Genesis 16:6-16)

2. Jacob alone wrestling all night with God where God gave him a

new name and blessed him. (Genesis 32:24ff)

3. Moses at the burning bush where God gave Moses the mission

of bringing God’s people out of Egypt and promised to be with

him in that mission. (Exodus 3:1ff)

4. Elijah in the cave when he heard the voice of God speaking to

him in the sound of the gentle blowing (1 Kings 19:11-13)

5. Jonah watching Nineveh from afar and God confronting him

about his sin (Jonah 4)

6. Paul spent 3 years alone in Arabia after he was saved where

God personally taught him about the gospel and the implications

of Jesus Christ.

D. Definitions

• in solitude – seeking aloneness, in a place free of distractions

for the sake of reflection and communion with God along

with personal refreshment

• in silence – creating an atmosphere of quiet in a place free of

noise and the constant barrage of stimulation in order to

listen to God and reflect on spiritual matters and your life

E. Some of their values:

1. To break in our hearts and life the stronghold of busyness and

the need to achieve;

2. To gain a better perspective as to how the world and man’s

opinions has gripped your heart

3. To get in touch with the deepest needs and thoughts of one’s

own heart

4. To be alone with God to get in touch with God and hear the

prompting of the Spirit.

E. Here is a quote that inspires me that this practice is well worth the

time and effort:

• “Slowing down to hear God as you make decisions, will keep

you from spending years of your life painfully repairing the

damage of mistakes.” Jimmy Evans

III. Interview with Ava Perry

A. Ava, you have been trying to practice solitude and silence

recently.

1. Could you each tell us what your time of solitude and silence

looks like and how it contrasts with your normal life?

2. When you first enter this time how did your heart respond and

how long was it before your heart settled down?

3. What was the biggest benefit you received from this

experience?

4. What would you tell others who have never done this before?

III. Application

B. This can be as simple as taking your lunch break to taking a whole

afternoon away at a place like Lake Kathrine to be alone with God

to talk to him in prayer and meditate on his word and just reflect

about your heart and life!

C. John 10:10 says this

1. Jesus came to give us an abundant life, a life that was

overflowing and fulfilling.

2. Solitude and silence is a great practice by which we can shake

off the effects of all that the world and other people put on us

and take hold of the eternal abundant life from Jesus, which is

life indeed.