Silence & Solitude

Let me begin by saying this is not going to be my best piece. Simply because this topic has been a huge learning curve for me and I’m still in the process of it. All I ask is an open heart to listen and receive. Also, this is not a ‘hot’ topic like the others, but please bear with me, because I think this is something that’s paramount for each of us. On that note, let’s dive in…

It’s a Noisy World out there…

We live in a world filled with noise right? I mean look around, it’s like everyone wants to say something, and in most times with much volume. I’ve been in the Marketing field for a couple of years now and by philosophy, everyone wants to have their say, it’s their primary duty to occupy your mind and stay there as long as possible. In essence that’s the world we live in, wherever we look around there’s something or someone trying to grab your attention. In turn, we get hooked in and eventually it’s all that we seek and desire. Now, I’m not saying all of it bad, some of the noise around us is good for us and we need it. Yet, I find far too many of us sucked in and at most times, lost in it.

Here’s a quote I found so relevant to the day and age we live in…

Bringing back Silence & Solitude

It’s time we as young people go back to the heart of the matter. I know it’s not cool or relevant, its tough too, we’re so wired into wanting something loud and relevant. Our natural state is when we’re hooked to something we love. However, this is something so critical and pivotal for us to inculcate to propel us into what God wants for us…

Solitude is being alone in purposeful withdrawal from human interaction. It is a deliberate choice to be alone in order to draw closer to God, thereby freeing ourselves from the usual things we all get caught in. Silence, the absence of speech, is a crucial component to solitude. Something even I struggle with cause I’m always looking to talk or express myself. This would require us to shut out things, intentionally.

I’m going to bring up a word we all as young people generally hate or tend to push away, you ready? Its discipline, it is going to take some of it to form a rhythm. Let me just say its hard work, trust me, I still go through the struggle of pushing myself to get to ‘that’ place. Most times, I feel like I’m in the middle of a battle zone between what needs my attention. However, I believe when we find the value of silencing and separating ourselves, this takes us a step closer. We tend to complain that we don’t receive from God. The truth of the matter is rather that God is revealing Himself, but are we taking the effort to spend time? In the midst of a noisy generation, we need to learn to enter a place of Silence and Solitude.

A call into Silence & Solitude

I want to make a transition here, you see God calls us or drives each of us to spend personal intimate time with Him. Now, this is different from a public gathering like small groups and Church settings, these are very important aspects of our journey as well. However, there are times where we must withdraw from everything, I repeat EVERYTHING and draw closer to God. Our greatest example is that of Jesus in Luke 4:1, the Bible says Jesus was ‘full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness’. Which tells me that God desires us to have this kind of relationship with Him. I believe it is in this place that you draw strength and power to face life as we call it. Jesus didn’t just stop here, we see a trend in the Gospels, where He would set aside time to be with His Heavenly Father (see Mark 1: 35, Luke 4:42, 5:15-16). How much more we as believers need to embrace this kind of relationship with our Heavenly Father.

I want to bring up another aspect— when we first started believing in Jesus, we were so excited, full of confidence and radiance right? Yet I find that as we journey along, this confidence seems to dim down for various reasons, can anyone relate to what I’m saying? I have found that when we spend time in Silence & Solitude we gain back this confidence. The Christian walk can get tough and tiresome, it is during these times we rise up and find our strength.

The Blessing…

Alright, let’s get practical. What do we do during this time? Well, I don’t really have a perfect answer. Spend time reading the Word, meditating on it. Pray and seek God, have an honest and deep conversation with God. You could spend some time in Worship and Thanksgiving. Do whatever you are naturally tuned to God. I find it so refreshing to my soul. But we’ve got to start somewhere…

I want to bring up two prominent figures in the Bible, one from the Old Testament and the other from the New Testament. King David, referred to in Scripture as “a man after God’s own heart” (see 1 Sam 13:14, Acts 13:22), was, as a boy, shaped and tested in times of solitude. In the New Testament, Apostle Paul, after his encounter on the road to Damascus, spent three years in the Arabian desert and many more years in isolation (see Galatians 1:15-18, 2:1-2, 8). It’s from here he goes on to become one of the most important figures in the New Testament.

Personally, I’ve learned that God is far more interested in having this kind of relationship (see Matthew 26:36-40) before we focus on our destiny and calling.

As I Conclude…

I know this post is not easy to digest, but let’s bring back and embrace Silence & Solitude. It is going to take some amount of sacrifice. But hey, we’re not alone. We have the Holy Spirit residing in us (see John 14:16) to help us get to that place. Above all, my prayer and desire are for each of us to have intimacy with our Heavenly Father.

I hope you’ve been blessed with this short read. God Bless!