Step 32: Solitude and Silence

Mark 6:30–32 (NIV)

30 The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. 31 Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” 32 So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place.

Genesis 3:7–9 (NIV)

7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. 8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the LORD God called to the man, “Where are you?”

Of all the enemies I have been afraid to confront, none is more terrifying than my own soul. From the time we are young, we learn to hide, not just from others but from ourselves. We sew fig leaves to cover our faults, hide ourselves away, and try to pretend that everything is okay. Our fig leaves usually take the form of distractions. As T.S. Eliot once wrote, we are “distracted from distraction by distraction.” Can you leave home without grabbing your earbuds to listen to music or a podcast? Can you stand in line without scrolling through social media? Can you “chill” without Netflix? Can you sit down by yourself for a cup of coffee without taking out your phone? If not, you just might be hiding. Most people are terrified to be alone with themselves, afraid of what they will find. And when we have to be alone, we find something to fill the void of silence. Anything to not be alone in the silence, because then we would have to deal with ourselves.

The place of healing and restoration is the very thing we avoid. Solitude and Silence opens the door to allow your soul an opportunity to get the help that it is so desperately needing. This doesn’t mean it will be easy. As Dallas Willard wrote, “We can only survive solitude if we cling to Christ there.” You will be barraged by inner conflicts, embarrassing feelings, fears, hurts, wounds, lies, anger, regret, disappointment, truth, and more. Everything you have been hiding from are all hidden in your soul and just waiting for an opportunity to be heard and healed; you are going to need Jesus with you to handle it. This can’t happen until you slow down enough and quiet down enough for them to come out. Once they come out, you can invite God to work in you to bring healing and forgiveness to those things that you have been hiding from. His desire is that you would be set free through the restoring of your soul. 

Your turn:

This week you are going to practice the ancient discipline of Solitude and Silence. There really isn’t too much technique to this. Basically, you need to get alone, get quiet, and do nothing for long enough that it is really uncomfortable. No phones, no music, no tasks, no people, no screens, no distractions. Just a quiet, intimate date with Jesus. It should feel like an enormous waste of time. 

Step 1: Silence

  • Sit in silence while you have your first cup of coffee each day this week. While you are driving to work this week, don’t listen to the radio, podcasts, music, audiobooks, and don’t make any phone calls.

Step 2: Walk with Jesus

  • Set aside an hour to go on a walk with Jesus. Be quiet, and let Him lead the conversation. As you feel Him bringing up topics, talk to Him about it. If you are talking more than 25% of the time, you are talking too much. 

Step 3: Solitude