Sep
20
2007
Quiet
Recently, I decided to practice the spiritual discipline of Silence and Solitude. I spent four hours in a garden, reading through the psalms and praying.
If you have never practiced this spiritual discipline, let me heartily recommend you make some time to do it. This is a very helpful discipline, even more so in our noise-centered culture.
The time of silence and solitude was valuable to me in many ways. First, it revealed to me just how much noise is in my life. Until I spent those hours in absolute silence, I didn’t realize just how foreign the concept was to me. Secondly, it revealed to me that I can spend time with God without always having to pray. I consciously tried not to spend the four hours speaking to God, but instead listening to His voice. Third, I realized that I need to be practicing silence and solitude more often. Even if I don’t have a block of 4-5 hours, I can at least devote 15-20 minutes a week to silence.
One of my strengths is that I am disciplined regarding my time. I always have a book with me so that no moment is wasted. I listen to sermons when driving, so I can better preach. When I’m not working, I am consciously spending time with my wife and son. My schedule is very structured and I stick to it. My problem is that silence and solitude often seemed like wasted time, and that bothered me.
Yet my time in silence and solitude taught me that the time spent alone with God, quiet in His presence, is not wasted. Instead, it is a way to clear my mind and to be better prepared for the busyness of life I encounter every day. God wants me to concentrate not only on doing things for Him, but simply being in His presence.
written by Trevin Wax © 2007 Kingdom People blog