Isaiah 40:29.He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.30.Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall;31.but those who hope in (wait on) the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
Psalm 25: 5.guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you (for thee I will wait) all day long.
Notes taken from a study of the chapter on Solitude in Richard Foster’s book Spiritual Disciplines …
I have a habit of retreating to the woods or lake to find peace. I find that I can hear God much better when everything around me is still and quiet. It is something done by Jesus over and over (Matt. 4:1-11, Luke 6:12, Matt. 14:13 and 23, Mark 1:35, Mark 6:31, Luke 5:16 …) These are examples of Jesus retreating to a quiet place in times of high stress just before a big decision or event.
God wants to speak with us but we must learn how to listen. The first step is find a place of silence. Foster says that we should not equate being away from others as loneliness. He says “Loneliness is inner emptiness. Solitude is inner fulfillment.” This can actually be a silent place but over time we are to cultivate a peaceful quiet soul “Whether alone or among people, we always carry with us a portable sanctuary of the heart.” P.97
God knows that we cannot fully listen while distracted. The warning is that sometimes we confuse speaking with God (prayer) in a public place as real communication. Foster shares that intimate time with God is needed and it almost always needs to be done in a place of silence. Without silence there is no solitude. Without solitude we may not fully understand what God is leading us towards.
Matthew 6: 6.But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
That is not to say we shouldn’t pray in public. Thomas a Kempis says “It is easier to be silent altogether than to speak with moderation” We all from time to time need to learn the lesson of keeping our mouth shut. As we learn silence we will also learn from God the right things to say at the right times.
Ecclesiastes 3:7 …a time to be silent and a time to speak.
God will sometimes lead us into a period Foster calls “The Dark Night of the Soul” which is a period of being away from all things so that we can appreciate what is to come. It is a complicated concept but my take is this. If you want to really hear something, plug your ears for a period where you almost forget what sound is like, then unplug your ears and sound becomes much more beautiful. We get caught up in ourselves and sometimes God needs to separate us for a period so that we will actually listen when He speaks. When this happens it will feel like punishment… until he reveals the reasons why. Sometimes God can only be understood while looking back at how things transpired to get us to this point.
He sometimes gives me illustrations to explain complex messages. I recently had a new radio installed in my Ford Expedition. More features, more power, better sound, etc. Listening to God can be like that radio. It is always there but I need to go to where it is. Just sitting in the truck is not enough, I have to also turn it on and then tune the station. When I do there will be beautiful music… How often do we wonder where the beautiful sound of Gods voice is although we are not doing our part to be in his presence? Through practice we should be able to hear his voice at all times in that inner peaceful place we have created inside ourselves.
I have to admit a little bit of selfishness here. Whenever I take on an opportunity to study and translate what God would have me say to others a flood of information seems to coincidentally fall into my lap. That relates back perfectly to what this lesson has been about. If we listen correctly He is there.
In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer.
~ Albert Camus (1913-1960) French Writer
The problem is not that God hasn’t spoken but that we haven’t listened.
~ Max Lucado
Calmness is the cradle of power.
~ Josiah Gilbert Holland
Nothing gives a person so much advantage over another as to remain always cool and unruffled under all circumstances.
~ Thomas Jefferson
Begin by finding a quiet place and waiting on the Lord. He is already there and will speak when he feels you are ready.
