Tomorrow I will devote an entire day to solitude and prayer. This is a discipline that I really just recently put into practice.
As an intern at Kingsway Christian Church in Avon, Indiana, I was introduced to this idea. Each staff member devoted one day a month to solitude and prayer. As an intern, this was also expected of me. They even were kind enough to provide me with resources about how to get the most out of this time. During the year that I was there as an intern, I faithfully devoted one day every month to prayer, study, and solitude. The staff was very good at holding each other accountable in this area. A lot of emphasis was put on the necessity of listening to God in the stillness, even in the midst of a very busy ministry.
I learned a lot that year, but during my first full time ministry, I neglected the discipline of solitude and prayer. Don’t get me wrong, I still found time to be alone with God every now and then, and I still found time to pray. But, I definitely wasn’t disciplined about it. Devoting a specific amount of time, not to mention an entire day, just didn’t happen.
When I began my current ministry over 2 years ago, I decided it would be a good time for a fresh start in the area of solitude and prayer. I decided to make a commitment to once again, every month, devote an entire day to being alone with God – no cell phone, no internet, no distractions. I would pray, read, and listen.
I am happy to say that I have been very consistent with this. I will often go to a park for my days of solitude. The picture is from Rowe Woods which is one of the parks I frequently go to. I really look forward to these days. It feels good to get away from it all.
Of course, I realize that this can also be a difficult thing to do. Sometimes the world we live in does not offer many opportunities for down time. I am at an advantage. I don’t have any children. I have a job that allows me the freedom to do this during a “work day”. I have organized my responsibilities in a way that is conducive for a day like this to be possible. Many people are not in this same situation. Not to mention, some people just don’t like being still. Some people go crazy at the thought of having to walk around in the woods singing Kum-Ba-Yah all day (For the record: I haven’t sung Kum-Ba-Yah once during my days of solitude – but I might tomorrow).
No matter how hard it is, though, it is important. I know time alone with God will look different for everybody. I think it can probably be done in a variety of ways. But, I want to encourage everyone to make sure it is getting done somehow. I really do believe that God is often speaking to us but we aren’t listening. Instead, we are listening to our iPods, TVs, cell phones, friends, possessions, etc. Take some time to get away from it all. Open up the Bible. Talk to God. Listen.
I am far from being some kind of spiritual giant. My intentions here are not to make it sound as if my one day a month makes me some sort of holy super man. I simply want to encourage you to start stopping long enough to hear God.
And…by the way…if any of you would like to leave suggestions on what has helped you to hear God, please leave a comment.
Do you have…books to recommend, scripture to share, studies to work through, etc.?
As an intern at Kingsway Christian Church in Avon, Indiana, I was introduced to this idea. Each staff member devoted one day a month to solitude and prayer. As an intern, this was also expected of me. They even were kind enough to provide me with resources about how to get the most out of this time. During the year that I was there as an intern, I faithfully devoted one day every month to prayer, study, and solitude. The staff was very good at holding each other accountable in this area. A lot of emphasis was put on the necessity of listening to God in the stillness, even in the midst of a very busy ministry.
I learned a lot that year, but during my first full time ministry, I neglected the discipline of solitude and prayer. Don’t get me wrong, I still found time to be alone with God every now and then, and I still found time to pray. But, I definitely wasn’t disciplined about it. Devoting a specific amount of time, not to mention an entire day, just didn’t happen.
When I began my current ministry over 2 years ago, I decided it would be a good time for a fresh start in the area of solitude and prayer. I decided to make a commitment to once again, every month, devote an entire day to being alone with God – no cell phone, no internet, no distractions. I would pray, read, and listen.
I am happy to say that I have been very consistent with this. I will often go to a park for my days of solitude. The picture is from Rowe Woods which is one of the parks I frequently go to. I really look forward to these days. It feels good to get away from it all.
Of course, I realize that this can also be a difficult thing to do. Sometimes the world we live in does not offer many opportunities for down time. I am at an advantage. I don’t have any children. I have a job that allows me the freedom to do this during a “work day”. I have organized my responsibilities in a way that is conducive for a day like this to be possible. Many people are not in this same situation. Not to mention, some people just don’t like being still. Some people go crazy at the thought of having to walk around in the woods singing Kum-Ba-Yah all day (For the record: I haven’t sung Kum-Ba-Yah once during my days of solitude – but I might tomorrow).No matter how hard it is, though, it is important. I know time alone with God will look different for everybody. I think it can probably be done in a variety of ways. But, I want to encourage everyone to make sure it is getting done somehow. I really do believe that God is often speaking to us but we aren’t listening. Instead, we are listening to our iPods, TVs, cell phones, friends, possessions, etc. Take some time to get away from it all. Open up the Bible. Talk to God. Listen.
I am far from being some kind of spiritual giant. My intentions here are not to make it sound as if my one day a month makes me some sort of holy super man. I simply want to encourage you to start stopping long enough to hear God.
And…by the way…if any of you would like to leave suggestions on what has helped you to hear God, please leave a comment.
Do you have…books to recommend, scripture to share, studies to work through, etc.?
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