Solitude is a necessity for anyone who wants to listen for the still, small voice of God. Just like any other discipline, it takes some effort and it takes some practice. The more you work at instilling opportunities for solitude in your life, the easier it becomes to shut out the noise and distractions of daily life and focus on listening to God.
But how do you do that? How do you cultivate solitude into your everyday life?
It’s not as difficult as you might imagine. In order to be effective at this, you need to remember that this is a twofold discipline. Every spiritual discipline is something that you do. But it is also a state of mind. Doing these things helps you to be who and what God has created you to be.
Understanding that, there are several things that yo can do to eliminate the distractions and instill solitude. There are many way to do this. Here are a few that I’ve found to be most effective in my own life.
Take advantage of the little moments in your day
Solitude doesn’t always have to happen in large chunks of time. Often, you can grab a few moments here or a few moments there that enable you to enjoy listening to God. For example, each morning, I make a cup of coffee and enjoy it as I get ready to begin my day. It’s easy to sit and drink a cup of coffee and listen to God as I begin my day, before the bustle of activity begins.
Other times, a walk in the evening is as beneficial as coffee in the morning. This allows me to enjoy a change of scenery as I walk and listen. Too often, these tiny moments are lost to us, and we squander them away with social media, or some other mindless activity. We run the risk of missing out on what God has to say to us.
Develop a quiet place
Create a place that is designed for silence and solitude. This may be easy or difficult to do based on your life situation. For example, around my house, there’s not much of an opportunity to do this, because every room is filled with family. We have six kids. But one day, when they are grown and have left our home, we may be able to transform a room into a place to listen to God. This can be a place where you shut the door, turn off the radio or TV, and listen to God. Or, it could be a corner of the patio or porch in nicer weather.
You can also find locations away from home. Often I will steal away and sit in the front of our church’s sanctuary, simply sitting and listening. Sometimes I pray, other times I listen. This is a powerful location for solitude for me, since I preach in that spot weekly. It seems appropriate that I listen to God in the same location that I pass on much of what he teaches me to others.
Speak less
In our conversational culture, this may be a tough thing to do. But if you become known as a person who has something to say when you speak, you will eliminate much of the pointless drivel that so many keep their conversations at because it is comfortable.
You can take this a step further as well. Try going a whole day without speaking. This will help you see just how much we depend upon words to communicate, and encourage you to be more intentional in your speech.
Withdraw for a personal retreat
Several times a year, take a break and get away from things for a few hours. Find a location you can go where you won’t be distracted by anything and spend a few hours going over your life plan, your goals, and listen to God’s leading for your life. You can do this at home in a quiet corner, or go somewhere, such as the public library. I try to do this once every eight weeks, every other month. I spend the day at the cabin of a friend, and I bring my Bible, my Life Plan, a book or two, and a notepad. What usually comes out of these days is so incredibly beneficial to my personal life and relationships with God and people, and it spills over into my preaching and teaching as well.
Solitude is a practical discipline. Even though everything about it cries out that you’re not doing anything, at its very root, solitude is helping you tune in to God at a deeper level than almost anything else can. Like Jesus, we need to get away from the things around us that distract and listen to the voice of God, whether that is for a few moments or for a longer stretch. Solitude helps you commune with the Creator, and continually keeps him at the center of your being.
What have you found to be helpful strategies for cultivating solitude? You can share your thoughts in the comment section below.