Spiritual Formation Calendar Experience June
JUNE SOLITUDE & SILENCE
Theme Overview From Moses to David to Paul - and all through history - God’s people have sought the gifts found uniquely in solitude. Jesus spent at least one 40-day period in solitude, and the gospels tell us “He often withdrew to lonely places” to be alone with God (Luke 5:16). If Jesus needed that, how much more do we? Little wonder wise Christians across the centuries have urged that times of solitude are an essential part of learning to experience the life God desires for His children. In solitude, we step away from the activities and noise that fill most of life. We forgo human interaction, as well as other things that normally engage, stimulate, and pacify us. But solitude is not merely about absence. Solitude is most of all a choice to turn our whole selves towards God. We give full attention to Him, His Word, and His world. We pray and praise. We listen, reflect, and wait. And in this, we open ourselves to receive. The gifts of solitude will be different each time we enter. Sometimes, it may include specific guidance we’re seeking. At other times, it may be just the opposite - a deeper sense of God’s presence despite continued uncertainty. We may see things about ourselves we’ve ignored areas requiring change or strengths we’ve left under-utilized. We may receive a call to a new place or to new contentment in our current situation. We may feel the brevity of life and its opportunities more keenly, or the goodness of the blessings hidden in plain sight all around us. Whatever gifts God has for us, we must know this: we will inevitably miss many of them if our lives remain a blur of activity and noise. We will simply not see or hear. To choose solitude and silence is to open our eyes, ears, and heart -- confident that as we do, we will receive.
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