Solitude Psalms 42:1-11 By Pst.Collins Muema Series:The Mandate Of The Transformed Believer Introduction Donald S. Whitney in response to the quest for solitude as a spiritual discipline avowed that: When my grandparents married in 1919 and began farming, solitude was a way of life. My grandfather spent most of his days alone in the fields, and my grandmother spent her time alone … in the farmhouse. No planes flew overhead. No cars or tractors rambled nearby. There was no radio, television, or telephone – not even the slightest electrical hum. The only sounds my grandparents heard all day were those of Gods creation or the ones they made while working. Just two generations later, solitude is now as difficult for many to experience as it would have been tracing a mobile phone at the rural area during the 1900s. Times have changed, but our need for solitude and its benefits for our souls have not. [Italics mine] [Associate Professor of Biblical Spirituality and Senior Associate Dean of the School of Theology at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, Kentucky.] The environment in the 21st century is not Christian-growth friendly. First, there is almost noise and congestion everywhere. Our offices are parked up. Our estates too – most of the houses are bumper-to-bumper if not flats. The locomotives, motor vehicles, and motor-bikes on the road; the machines at the work place; electric flour mills and the population increase at our residential places are noises enough to grapple with. Secondly, technology has affected our lifestyles: we have more time on the internet (Facebook, WhatsApp, instagram, twitter, etc.) than we can afford quality time for God. Thirdly, life accrues many demands for us to meet. We have to wake up early in the morning most of the days of the week, sleep late and work extra hard at least to make ends meet. After many hustles and bustles of life trying to chase after life goals, meeting life targets, exhaustion sets in, thus; it is very easy to lose touch with your creator. Most of the times we can be engulfed in search for the blessings and yet disconnect from the BLESSER. Exposition: Psalm 42 David had appointed the sons of Korah to serve as choir leaders in the temple (1 Chronicles 6:31-38) and they continued to be temple musicians for hundreds of years (2 Chronicles 20:18, 19). At this time, the sons of Korah were discouraged because they were exiled far away from Jerusalem and could not worship in the temple (verses 4, 5). In the OT, the presence of God was only found in the Temple where the Ark of Covenant laid. Verses 1-2: As the life of a deer depends on water, so our lives depend on God. Those who seek Him and long to understand Him find a never-ending life. Feeling separated from God, the sons of Korah would not rest until their relationship with God was restored because they knew that their very own life depended on this relationship. In the busy and noisy streets and estates we reside in (dwellers or residents), it is very difficult to hear God’s voice. May be you have attended lunch hour meetings, revival and prayer meetings, spiritual conferences, but all in vain. You still have not found a breakthrough in your situation! This therefore calls for you to retreat; find or develop a ‘quiet place.’ Demands of life can bring panic and worry until we forget God’s promises in Jeremiah 29:11 and 13. Since God knows the plans He has for us, we therefore need to continually seek Him to show us His ways. In this regard therefore, we have to consistently search for a time alone with the Lord. In Exodus 5:1, God sent Moses to Pharaoh to free the children of Israel so as to worship Him in the desert – a place of less human activity. God is calling us from our busy schedules to a place of solitude because He wants to relay His plans to us. The best way to free ourselves in order to listen to God is by practicing Spiritual Solitude. Definition: Has a Latin and French origin; the word Solus that means alone. Solitude therefore is the state or situation of being alone. Seclusion: remoteness from habitations, as of a place; absence of human activity. Synonyms: loneliness, solitariness, isolation, seclusion, withdrawal, privacy, peace. A lonely or uninhabited place. Spiritual solitude The sort of solitude that refreshes the Christian soul is more than just separation from other people. Spiritual solitude is the biblical practice of temporarily withdrawing to privacy for spiritual purposes. The period of solitude may last only a few minutes or for days. Solitude is not simply about withdrawing to be alone, but to be alone with God. It is about drawing near to God, above, through and beyond all else. Jesus and solitude Jesus Christ is our example and our model for spirituality. He pursued times of solitude. The gospel accounts tell us Jesus often got alone, not just for rest and a change of pace, but also that He might spend time in communion with His heavenly Father. · In Matthew 4:1-11, Jesus Christ inaugurated His ministry by spending 40 days alone as was led by the Spirit into the wilderness; except for when the Devil came to tempt Him. · Before He chose the 12 disciples He spent the entire night alone in the desert hills (Luke 6:12). · When He received the bad news about the death of John the Baptist, He “withdrew by a boat privately to a solitary place” (Matthew 14:13). · “And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. When evening came, He was there alone” (Matthew 14:23). · “And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, He departed and went out to a desolate place, and there He prayed” (Mark 1:35). · After the healing of a leper, Jesus ‘withdrew to the wilderness and prayed’ (Luke 5:16). · “And when it was day, He departed and went into a desolate place” (Luke 4:42). · During the transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-9) Jesus had withdrawn to a lonely mountain with 3 disciples. · Just before His arrest, Jesus sought solitude at the Garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26:26-46). Jesus not only modeled prayer in solitude, He exhorted us to do the same saying,“When you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is unseen…and He shall reward you” (Matthew 6:6). Solitude is a Spiritual Discipline We come to God and live for Him through the gospel. Apostle Paul wrote, “Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him” (Colossians 2:6). It is through the gospel by faith that we receive Christ, and it is through the gospel by faith that we walk in Christ. Solitude creates a consistent platform to walk with Christ. Jesus Christ admonished us that our successful productivity is only possible when we remain in Him (John 15:4); we can only remain in Christ through our consistent time alone with Him away from the crowds. Solitude as a spiritual discipline creates a context that allows a Christian to be with Jesus and to become like Jesus. Solitude allows us to enjoy some of the benefits of fellowship with God that He provided through the gospel of Jesus Christ. In other words, solitude is simply putting yourself in a situation where you can be alone for the scriptural disciplines of Bible reading, prayer, and meditation. In order to effectively practice solitude, we have to let go the other people’s opinions; “the less we are mesmerized by human voices, the more we are able to hear the divine Voice. The less we are bound by others’ expectations, the more we are open to God’s expectations.”(Richard Foster, p.134) It is out of our liberation from others and self that our ears become open to hear and our eyes unveiled to see the goodness of God…through our solitude an open inner space has been created through which God finds us. In solitude we experience a second (and third, and fourth, and fifth…) conversion. [Richard Foster, Celebration of Discipline, p.134). How to engage in Spiritual Solitude: 1. ‘Little solitudes’ – begin small (a journey of 1000 miles…). The early morning moments before everyone else wakes up; the solitude of bumper-to-bumper traffic during rush hour; taking a walk around your compound. 2. When building your home, insist that a little inner sanctuary be put up in the building plans. Those who have already built or renting can consider enclosing a little section either of the garage or otherwise, but not ritualize or idolize it. 3. Find a place outside or away from home: the parks, a church room, a Retreat Centre, etc. Conclusion: 1 Kings 19:1-13 After the dramatic display of power, there was “a still, small voice,” which has also been translated, “a gentle whisper, and a tone of a gentle blowing.” When the prophet heard that voice, he stepped out of the cave and met the Lord. The mighty power and the great noise of the wind, earthquake and fire did not stir Elijah, but when he heard the still, small voice, he recognized the voice of God. You will not hear God’s voice in the rumbling noise around you – go to the mountain – seclude yourself to a solitary place. We must realize that God does not usually work in a manner that is loud, impressive, and dramatic. His still, small voice brings the Word to the listening ear and heart. Yes, theres a time and place for the wind, the earthquake and the fire (the Pharisees were asking for signs from Jesus to prove He was the Son of God), but most of the time, God speaks to people in tones of gentle love and quiet persuasion. Gods Word comes down like the gentle shower that refreshes, cleanses, and produces life (Deuteronomy 32:2; Isaiah 55:10). Jesus Christ did not come in thunder otherwise people would have fled away in fear instead of believing in Him for salvation. In this generation, the schedules, loud music, internet and lifestyles, have made it difficult for some people to understand that God rarely works by means of the dramatic and the titanic (Luke 9:54). Dr. J. Oswald Sanders states that “the whispers from Calvary are infinitely more potent than the thunder of Sinai in bringing men to repentance.” (The Bible Exposition Commentary: Old Testament © 2001-2004 by Warren W. Wiersbe. All rights reserved.) · God is calling us out to a solitary place; the quiet place of encounter. (Song: One thing I ask, this one thing I seek, that I may dwell in your house oh Lord y King; all the days of my life….)
Posted on: Tue, 07 Oct 2014 08:23:33 +0000
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