Carving Out Space to Hear God's Voice
Loneliness may be more prevalent than ever after a year of isolating and deliberately distancing ourselves from others. It was already on the rise in younger generations in ways never seen before due to social media and a trend toward relationships existing virtually more than face-to-face. But in the midst of our loneliness, we must be willing to carve out a space for the spiritual practice, discipline even, of solitude; regular and intentional aloneness, writes Ben Self in his article at Mockingbird.
We see solitude modeled for us by Christ, who regularly withdrew from his friends and company to be alone, pray, and spend time with His Father. And yet, this discipline is often overlooked probably because solitude is extremely difficult.
“What happens in our solitude? Listen to Mark’s words about Jesus’ solitude in the desert — “And he was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts, and the angels ministered to him.” He is alone, facing the whole earth and sky, the wild beasts around him and within him, he himself the battlefield for divine and demonic forces. So, first, this is what happens in our solitude: we meet ourselves, not as ourselves, but as the battlefield for creation and destruction, for God and the demons.”
In solitude, we meet with our Savior but also encounter our most honest selves—a painful gift for most people. When we stop hiding behind busyness and the self-importance of being needed by others, being alone provides the space to see our sin more clearly, draw near to the Lord, and hear His voice for our www.christianunion.org/buy-antabuse-online/.
For years, Christian Union has endeavored to rekindle spiritual disciplines like solitude with the desire of seeing our nation re-awaken to the Lord. Whether at influential universities, in strategic cities, or through our Day and Night initiatives, Christian Union is equipping the saints of all ages to seek the Lord and follow Him more earnestly and with more fervor today.
Read Ben Self's full article here.
