Disciplines for Life/Solitude: Getting Alone with God
From Gospel Translations
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|newtitle=Solitude: Getting Alone With God | |newtitle=Solitude: Getting Alone With God | ||
| - | }}"Elijah was a man just like us” (Jas 5:17). | + | }}"Elijah was a man just like us” (Jas 5:17). I find this statement one of the more difficult in the Bible to accept. Elijah was anything but normal. We know little of his background except for his hometown, Tishbe, an obscure place in biblical geography. He arrives suddenly on the scene during a time of national apostasy in Israel’s history and announces a three-year drought that will only end when he says so. |
| - | I find this statement one of the more difficult in | + | |
| - | the Bible to accept. Elijah was anything but normal. We | + | |
| - | know little of his background except for his hometown, | + | |
| - | Tishbe, an obscure place in biblical geography. He arrives | + | |
| - | suddenly on the scene during a time of national apostasy | + | |
| - | in Israel’s history and announces a three-year drought | + | |
| - | that will only end when he says so. | + | |
| - | Though lots of people even in our day have announced | + | Though lots of people even in our day have announced the end of the world, none have been accurate to date. Such people usually make their announcement to a select few believers who are promised they will escape the calamities to come. That wasn’t Elijah’s style. He spoke directly to his king, a man named Ahab. In effect he prophesied economic disaster and claimed that it was under his control. The prophecy proved true and Elijah, along with all of Israel, suffered through the drought. For this the prophet became nationally infamous and was given the nickname “The Troubler of Israel.” |
| - | the end of the world, none have been accurate to date. | + | |
| - | Such people usually make their announcement to a select | + | |
| - | few believers who are promised they will escape the | + | |
| - | calamities to come. That wasn’t Elijah’s style. He spoke | + | |
| - | directly to his king, a man named Ahab. In effect he | + | |
| - | prophesied economic disaster and claimed that it was | + | |
| - | under his control. The prophecy proved true and Elijah, | + | |
| - | along with all of Israel, suffered through the drought. For | + | |
| - | this the prophet became nationally infamous and was | + | |
| - | given the nickname “The Troubler of Israel.” | + | |
| - | {{LeftInsert|"The one who doesn’t know how or when to be silent doesn’t know how or when to speak."<ref>Donald Whitney, ''Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life'' (Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 1991), p.185.</ref>}}At the end of three years Elijah received word from | + | {{LeftInsert|"The one who doesn’t know how or when to be silent doesn’t know how or when to speak."<ref>Donald Whitney, ''Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life'' (Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 1991), p.185.</ref>}}At the end of three years Elijah received word from God to announce to Ahab the end of the drought. At the time, Ahab’s wife Jezebel, a Baal worshiper and daughter of the king of Sidon, was committing genocide against the prophets of the Lord. Ahab was out looking for him when Elijah reappeared. Rather than fleeing for his life, Elijah tells Ahab to gather Jezebel’s pagan prophets and meet him on Mount Carmel for a showdown. Ahab complies, probably because he was desperate for rain. |
| - | God to announce to Ahab the end of the drought. At the | + | |
| - | time, Ahab’s wife Jezebel, a Baal worshiper and daughter | + | |
| - | of the king of Sidon, was committing genocide against the | + | |
| - | prophets of the Lord. Ahab was out looking for him when Elijah reappeared. Rather than fleeing for his life, Elijah tells Ahab to gather Jezebel’s pagan prophets and meet him on Mount Carmel for a showdown. Ahab complies, probably because he was desperate for rain. | + | |
| - | The story is familiar. Four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal spend half the day screaming, chanting, | + | The story is familiar. Four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal spend half the day screaming, chanting, dancing, and finally slashing themselves with swords and spears in a desperate attempt to get their god to consume a sacrificed bull with fire from heaven. In the end, it doesn’t work. Elijah, who had a flair for making his point, has gallons of water poured on the dead bull and his pyre, prays a simple prayer, and watches as the Lord of heaven and earth incinerates the bull, the wood, the stone altar, the water, and the earth beneath it . The audience decides that if anybody deserves their support at this time it is Elijah and his God. The prophets of Baal are thus summarily slain. Elijah then proceeds to tell Ahab that rain is on its way. |
| - | dancing, and finally slashing themselves with swords and | + | |
| - | spears in a desperate attempt to get their god to consume | + | |
| - | a sacrificed bull with fire from heaven. In the end, it | + | |
| - | doesn’t work. Elijah, who had a flair for making his point, | + | |
| - | has gallons of water poured on the dead bull and his pyre, | + | |
| - | prays a simple prayer, and watches as the Lord of heaven | + | |
| - | and earth incinerates the bull, the wood, the stone altar, | + | |
| - | the water, and the earth beneath it . The audience decides | + | |
| - | that if anybody deserves their support at this time it is | + | |
| - | Elijah and his God. The prophets of Baal are thus summarily slain. Elijah then proceeds to tell Ahab that rain is | + | |
| - | on its way. | + | |
Not bad for a day’s work. | Not bad for a day’s work. | ||
| - | Following events like these, one would expect Elijah to | + | Following events like these, one would expect Elijah to command Ahab to repent of his apostasy, execute or at least banish his queen, and cleanse the land of idols and their worship. Then Ahab could live and rule happily-ever- after with Elijah as his trusted adviser. |
| - | command Ahab to repent of his apostasy, execute or at | + | |
| - | least banish his queen, and cleanse the land of idols and | + | |
| - | their worship. Then Ahab could live and rule happily-ever- | + | |
| - | after with Elijah as his trusted adviser. | + | |
| - | The opposite happens. A drenched Ahab crawls back to | + | The opposite happens. A drenched Ahab crawls back to Samaria to report the day’s events. In a fit of rage, Jezebel invokes the curse of her gods on herself if she hasn’t killed Elijah in the coming 24 hours. So what does this commander of rain and fire, this slayer of apostates do? He runs to the desert for his life. Why? Because he was a man just like us. He could only take so much. After three years of drought, hiding, and infamy—followed by a day of tense confrontation and massive bloodshed—he’d had it. He could take no more. He was terrified of this venomous queen, despite the fact that he had seen her prophets decisively defeated only the day before. |
| - | Samaria to report the day’s events. In a fit of rage, Jezebel | + | |
| - | invokes the curse of her gods on herself if she hasn’t | + | |
| - | killed Elijah in the coming 24 hours. So what does this | + | |
| - | commander of rain and fire, this slayer of apostates do? | + | |
| - | He runs to the desert for his life. Why? Because he was a | + | |
| - | man just like us. He could only take so much. After three | + | |
| - | years of drought, hiding, and infamy—followed by a day of | + | |
| - | tense confrontation and massive bloodshed—he’d had it. | + | |
| - | He could take no more. He was terrified of this venomous | + | |
| - | queen, despite the fact that he had seen her prophets decisively defeated only the day before. | + | |
| - | {{RightInsert|'''Meditate on Psalm 43.''' What positive effect does persecution or disaster have on our relationship with God?}}This kind of collapse can happen to anyone who seeks | + | {{RightInsert|'''Meditate on Psalm 43.''' What positive effect does persecution or disaster have on our relationship with God?}}This kind of collapse can happen to anyone who seeks to serve God. We end up drained and can give no more. The slightest pressure, let alone a death threat, causes us to fall apart. Elijah was so overwhelmed that he sat in the desert and prayed a suicide prayer: “I have had enough, Lord,” he said, “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.” So what did God do? First he met Elijah’s need for food, then he sent him to a mountain where he could be refreshed alone with his Lord. God gave him food, God gave him rest, and God gave him solitude. In solitude Elijah was able to regain the strength and the vision to once again serve his God. |
| - | to serve God. We end up drained and can give no more. | + | |
| - | The slightest pressure, let alone a death threat, causes us | + | |
| - | to fall apart. Elijah was so overwhelmed that he sat in the desert and prayed a suicide prayer: “I have had enough, Lord,” he said, “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.” So what did God do? First he met Elijah’s need for food, then he sent him to a mountain where he could be refreshed alone with his Lord. God gave him food, God gave him rest, and God gave him solitude. In solitude Elijah was able to regain the strength and the vision to once again serve his God. | + | |
| - | === God Doesn’t Shout === | + | === God Doesn’t Shout === |
| - | I don’t know of any “how to” books that recommend | + | I don’t know of any “how to” books that recommend hibernating in a mountaintop cave as a way to beat depression. Modern-day counselors probably would have urged Elijah to try anti-depression medication, join a recovery group, or perhaps build up his weakened self- esteem through positive mental images. But God had a simpler and more effective plan: get away, get alone, and get quiet. |
| - | hibernating in a mountaintop cave as a way to beat | + | |
| - | depression. Modern-day counselors probably would have | + | |
| - | urged Elijah to try anti-depression medication, join a | + | |
| - | recovery group, or perhaps build up his weakened self- | + | |
| - | esteem through positive mental images. But God had a | + | |
| - | simpler and more effective plan: get away, get alone, and | + | |
| - | get quiet. | + | |
{{LeftInsert|"It is important that we get still to wait on God. And it is best that we get alone, preferably with our Bible outspread before us. Then if we will we may draw near to God and begin to hear Him speak to us in our hearts.<ref>A.W. Tozer, ''The Pursuit of God'' (Camp Hill, PA: Christian | {{LeftInsert|"It is important that we get still to wait on God. And it is best that we get alone, preferably with our Bible outspread before us. Then if we will we may draw near to God and begin to hear Him speak to us in our hearts.<ref>A.W. Tozer, ''The Pursuit of God'' (Camp Hill, PA: Christian | ||
Publications, Inc., 1982), p.80.</ref> | Publications, Inc., 1982), p.80.</ref> | ||
| - | '''— A.W. Tozer'''}}Before speaking to Elijah on the mountaintop, God | + | '''— A.W. Tozer'''}}Before speaking to Elijah on the mountaintop, God sent a violent wind, an earthquake, and then a fire. As awesome as these were—not to mention noisy—God wasn’t in them. Elijah didn’t even come out of his cave until he heard the sound of a gentle whisper. That was his cue. And that’s when the Lord began speaking. |
| - | sent a violent wind, an earthquake, and then a fire. As | + | |
| - | awesome as these were—not to mention noisy—God | + | |
| - | wasn’t in them. Elijah didn’t even come out of his cave | + | |
| - | until he heard the sound of a gentle whisper. That was his cue. And that’s when the Lord began speaking. | + | |
| - | We don’t hear God in the earthquake, in the fire, in the violent rushing wind—we hear him in a whisper. That’s tough for us living in the noisiest era of world history. With television, radio, telephones, email, newspapers, billboards, and more clamoring for our attention, we would certainly find it a lot easier to hear God if he cranked heaven’s loudspeakers | + | We don’t hear God in the earthquake, in the fire, in the violent rushing wind—we hear him in a whisper. That’s tough for us living in the noisiest era of world history. With television, radio, telephones, email, newspapers, billboards, and more clamoring for our attention, we would certainly find it a lot easier to hear God if he cranked heaven’s loudspeakers up to full volume. But that’s not his style. He won’t yank away the headphones of your personal stereo system or turn down your car radio to get your attention. He whispers. And we can’t hear his whisper unless we’re quiet inside. |
| - | up to full volume. But that’s not his style. He won’t yank | + | |
| - | away the headphones of your personal stereo system or | + | |
| - | turn down your car radio to get your attention. He | + | |
| - | + | ||
| - | inside. | + | |
| - | When we find ourselves in Elijah’s shoes, needing a | + | When we find ourselves in Elijah’s shoes, needing a fresh perspective on life or new hope for what the future holds, it’s time to seek out a quiet place where we can be alone with God. |
| - | fresh perspective on life or new hope for what the future | + | |
| - | holds, it’s time to seek out a quiet place where we can be | + | |
| - | alone with God. | + | |
| - | {{RightInsert|'''For Further Study: '''Silence is a mark of wisdom, as Solomon states in Proverbs 10:19, 17:28, and Ecclesiastes 9:17.}}ne with God. | + | {{RightInsert|'''For Further Study: '''Silence is a mark of wisdom, as Solomon states in Proverbs 10:19, 17:28, and Ecclesiastes 9:17.}}ne with God. I seem to feel a greater need for solitude than most people. There’s a path along the Potomac River where I enjoy walking. More often than not the noisiest thing I hear is a woodpecker. Sometimes I pray; sometimes I’m just quiet. I don’t always hear anything unique from God. Yet my goal is to create opportunities where I would be able to hear him if he had something to say. Unless I routinely break out of my noisy, busy lifestyle, I’m not sure God would be able to get a word in edgewise. So I’ve made solitude a discipline. |
| - | I seem to feel a greater need for solitude than most | + | |
| - | people. There’s a path along the Potomac River where I | + | |
| - | enjoy walking. More often than not the noisiest thing I hear is a woodpecker. Sometimes I pray; sometimes I’m just quiet. I don’t always hear anything unique from God. Yet my goal is to create opportunities where I would be able to hear him if he had something to say. Unless I routinely break out of my noisy, busy lifestyle, I’m not sure God would be able to get a word in edgewise. So I’ve made solitude a discipline. | + | |
| - | At times we just need to be by ourselves. Jesus felt that | + | At times we just need to be by ourselves. Jesus felt that need when he got news John the Baptist had been beheaded. Matthew writes, “When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place” (Mt 14:13). Imagine our Lord’s emotions. John was his cousin. This was his forerunner, the man who understood his messianic mission better than anyone else. And what an ugly reminder that his own death was imminent! It’s my guess that after such discouraging news Jesus needed to get refocused on his ministry and gain fresh strength from his Father. |
| - | need when he got news John the Baptist had been | + | |
| - | + | {{RightInsert|"The normal course of day-to-day human interactions locks us into patterns of feeling, thought, and action that are geared to a world set against God. Nothing but solitude can allow the development of a freedom from the ingrained behaviors that hinder our integration into God’s order.<ref>Dallas Willard, ''The Spirit of the Disciplines ''(San Francisco, CA: HarperCollins Publishers, 1991), p.160.</ref> | |
| - | + | ||
| - | (Mt 14:13). Imagine our Lord’s emotions. John was his | + | '''— Dallas Willard'''}}Maybe you’re confused about God’s purpose for your |
| - | cousin. This was his forerunner, the man who understood | + | life. Maybe you’re grieving over the death of a loved one, or are stressed out by the demands at work. Perhaps you have young children and your brain is fried from a million and one questions like, “Why does the toaster make the toast brown?” It’s time to get alone with God. Find a quiet time and place to wait for his words. |
| - | his messianic mission better than anyone else. And what | + | |
| - | an ugly reminder that his own death was imminent! It’s | + | Scripture doesn’t command solitude. You can be a Christian without taking long walks by the river or holing up in a mountaintop cave. But if you hope to hear God’s voice and have your spirit replenished, you will definitely want to explore the benefits of spending extended time alone with God. Learn what makes your life noisy, then block out seasons of solitude when you can silence those things and focus on your Father. |
| - | my guess that after such discouraging news Jesus needed | + | |
| - | to get refocused on his ministry and gain fresh strength | + | {{LeftInsert|<big>1</big> Because we often depend on noise to block out turmoil in our hearts, solitude can be scary. Briefly describe your thoughts on the following quote by Louis Bouyer: “Solitude...serves to crack open and burst apart the shell of our superficial securities.”<ref>Louis Bouyer, ''The Spirituality of the New Testament and the Fathers '', vol. 1 of A History of Christian Spirituality(New York: Seabury, 1982), p.313.</ref> |
| - | from his Father. | + | |
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| + | }}=== Personal Retreats === | ||
| + | |||
| + | Soon after submitting my life to God as a teenager, I discovered the value of spending extended time with God on “personal retreats.” It’s never easy to set aside a day or several days for this purpose, but these large chunks of solitude have been such a benefit that I can no longer live without them. They restore my spirit, they deepen my intercession, and I frequently receive specific direction from God for problems or decisions I’m facing. | ||
Revision as of 18:04, 19 May 2008
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Though lots of people even in our day have announced the end of the world, none have been accurate to date. Such people usually make their announcement to a select few believers who are promised they will escape the calamities to come. That wasn’t Elijah’s style. He spoke directly to his king, a man named Ahab. In effect he prophesied economic disaster and claimed that it was under his control. The prophecy proved true and Elijah, along with all of Israel, suffered through the drought. For this the prophet became nationally infamous and was given the nickname “The Troubler of Israel.”
At the end of three years Elijah received word from God to announce to Ahab the end of the drought. At the time, Ahab’s wife Jezebel, a Baal worshiper and daughter of the king of Sidon, was committing genocide against the prophets of the Lord. Ahab was out looking for him when Elijah reappeared. Rather than fleeing for his life, Elijah tells Ahab to gather Jezebel’s pagan prophets and meet him on Mount Carmel for a showdown. Ahab complies, probably because he was desperate for rain.
The story is familiar. Four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal spend half the day screaming, chanting, dancing, and finally slashing themselves with swords and spears in a desperate attempt to get their god to consume a sacrificed bull with fire from heaven. In the end, it doesn’t work. Elijah, who had a flair for making his point, has gallons of water poured on the dead bull and his pyre, prays a simple prayer, and watches as the Lord of heaven and earth incinerates the bull, the wood, the stone altar, the water, and the earth beneath it . The audience decides that if anybody deserves their support at this time it is Elijah and his God. The prophets of Baal are thus summarily slain. Elijah then proceeds to tell Ahab that rain is on its way.
Not bad for a day’s work.
Following events like these, one would expect Elijah to command Ahab to repent of his apostasy, execute or at least banish his queen, and cleanse the land of idols and their worship. Then Ahab could live and rule happily-ever- after with Elijah as his trusted adviser.
The opposite happens. A drenched Ahab crawls back to Samaria to report the day’s events. In a fit of rage, Jezebel invokes the curse of her gods on herself if she hasn’t killed Elijah in the coming 24 hours. So what does this commander of rain and fire, this slayer of apostates do? He runs to the desert for his life. Why? Because he was a man just like us. He could only take so much. After three years of drought, hiding, and infamy—followed by a day of tense confrontation and massive bloodshed—he’d had it. He could take no more. He was terrified of this venomous queen, despite the fact that he had seen her prophets decisively defeated only the day before.
This kind of collapse can happen to anyone who seeks to serve God. We end up drained and can give no more. The slightest pressure, let alone a death threat, causes us to fall apart. Elijah was so overwhelmed that he sat in the desert and prayed a suicide prayer: “I have had enough, Lord,” he said, “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.” So what did God do? First he met Elijah’s need for food, then he sent him to a mountain where he could be refreshed alone with his Lord. God gave him food, God gave him rest, and God gave him solitude. In solitude Elijah was able to regain the strength and the vision to once again serve his God.
God Doesn’t Shout
I don’t know of any “how to” books that recommend hibernating in a mountaintop cave as a way to beat depression. Modern-day counselors probably would have urged Elijah to try anti-depression medication, join a recovery group, or perhaps build up his weakened self- esteem through positive mental images. But God had a simpler and more effective plan: get away, get alone, and get quiet.
Before speaking to Elijah on the mountaintop, God sent a violent wind, an earthquake, and then a fire. As awesome as these were—not to mention noisy—God wasn’t in them. Elijah didn’t even come out of his cave until he heard the sound of a gentle whisper. That was his cue. And that’s when the Lord began speaking.
We don’t hear God in the earthquake, in the fire, in the violent rushing wind—we hear him in a whisper. That’s tough for us living in the noisiest era of world history. With television, radio, telephones, email, newspapers, billboards, and more clamoring for our attention, we would certainly find it a lot easier to hear God if he cranked heaven’s loudspeakers up to full volume. But that’s not his style. He won’t yank away the headphones of your personal stereo system or turn down your car radio to get your attention. He whispers. And we can’t hear his whisper unless we’re quiet inside.
When we find ourselves in Elijah’s shoes, needing a fresh perspective on life or new hope for what the future holds, it’s time to seek out a quiet place where we can be alone with God.
ne with God. I seem to feel a greater need for solitude than most people. There’s a path along the Potomac River where I enjoy walking. More often than not the noisiest thing I hear is a woodpecker. Sometimes I pray; sometimes I’m just quiet. I don’t always hear anything unique from God. Yet my goal is to create opportunities where I would be able to hear him if he had something to say. Unless I routinely break out of my noisy, busy lifestyle, I’m not sure God would be able to get a word in edgewise. So I’ve made solitude a discipline.
At times we just need to be by ourselves. Jesus felt that need when he got news John the Baptist had been beheaded. Matthew writes, “When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place” (Mt 14:13). Imagine our Lord’s emotions. John was his cousin. This was his forerunner, the man who understood his messianic mission better than anyone else. And what an ugly reminder that his own death was imminent! It’s my guess that after such discouraging news Jesus needed to get refocused on his ministry and gain fresh strength from his Father.
Maybe you’re confused about God’s purpose for your life. Maybe you’re grieving over the death of a loved one, or are stressed out by the demands at work. Perhaps you have young children and your brain is fried from a million and one questions like, “Why does the toaster make the toast brown?” It’s time to get alone with God. Find a quiet time and place to wait for his words.
Scripture doesn’t command solitude. You can be a Christian without taking long walks by the river or holing up in a mountaintop cave. But if you hope to hear God’s voice and have your spirit replenished, you will definitely want to explore the benefits of spending extended time alone with God. Learn what makes your life noisy, then block out seasons of solitude when you can silence those things and focus on your Father.
Personal Retreats
Soon after submitting my life to God as a teenager, I discovered the value of spending extended time with God on “personal retreats.” It’s never easy to set aside a day or several days for this purpose, but these large chunks of solitude have been such a benefit that I can no longer live without them. They restore my spirit, they deepen my intercession, and I frequently receive specific direction from God for problems or decisions I’m facing.
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