Sacred Solitude

Mark 1:35 (NIV)

“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” 

I think solitude might just be the most difficult practice in a world filled with busyness and noise. Too often I find myself filling up each day with tasks, meetings and catch-ups so that I lose God's voice in my life to the voices of others. 

The thing is solitude can be uncomfortable. We're faced to confront all those thoughts and things we've pushed aside, the dreams unfulfilled, the tasks that need attention or even our loneliness. 

But Jesus calls us from loneliness into solitude. There's a big difference. Loneliness is emptiness, solitude is rest and fulness. Solitude is choosing to spend time on our own; we intentionally withhold from interacting with others. We turn off our phones, the podcast, the playlist. While we don't have to leave the joys of life behind, we do need to practice a different rhythm. 

In today’s verse, we see Jesus being intentional about finding a space that lets him re-centre his thoughts and enjoy communion with the Father. I love what Oswald Chambers says: 'Solitude with God repairs the damage done by the fret and noise and clamour of the world’. *

So today, take a moment to unplug and recharge, mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. It's in the stillness and the silence that we recover life.

Prayer — Jesus, I don't want to lose your voice in my life. Help me create moments of solitude to come under your thoughts, guide me in my times of solitude.