Make Room
Through Stillness, Silence, & Solitude
Matthew 11:28-30
To continue Mary’s thought on silence from yesterday…I once had someone teach me about the holy combination of stillness, silence and solitude as part of our sacred practices to commune with God. Oftentimes, we try to combine all three. That can be very difficult in a fast-moving culture. It’s particularly hard to teach a child to do all three of these at once! Are we so different? Aren’t we called to become like a child to enter the kingdom of heaven? It’s fascinating to explore these three separately. Maybe even an easier “on ramp” for our nervous systems?
Which of these feels difficult in your life right now? Which feels desirable? Is there a place that you consistently yearn to meet with God?
For instance, if you have young children, perhaps solitude is a challenge but pursuing silence during nap-time is a real sacred-space-opportunity. Building in family rhythms of quiet could be worth the kid-training! Maybe God can give a new appreciation and fresh wonder to us in whatever season we are in. Or maybe deep rest looks like those four hours of solitude you carve out with a babysitter or a sabbath-rest-trade-off with a spouse. We can get creative with our pursuit of rest!
I believe, whatever we’re craving, we can ask God if that is exactly where He is beckoning us. Of course, we test every spirit and we discern if a craving is for junk or for real nourishment. However, something tells me that if we are having a craving for stillness, silence, or solitude, this is likely our body’s way of reminding us we are a temple and our souls depend upon it. This would be like our bodies craving sleep, but deciding to stay up late to pursue another indulgence instead. Or perhaps, if we are craving a salad but we choose a hamburger instead. Hamburgers DEFINITELY have their place, don’t get me wrong…but I believe our bodies do a really good job helping us to discern how to care for ourselves when we listen. And how much more, when the Spirit of the Living God lives inside us?! How much more will He give us HIS discernment if we ask?
For me, the deepest craving of the “3 S’s” is often for solitude. I’m an extrovert, so solitude has been a real challenge for me to learn to yield to. Silence and stillness I can normally comply with quite easily. I’ve found that if I don’t get a significant amount of solitude once a week, I simply cannot function. I become like a car without oil that is running on empty. Ironically, to shut out all the noise and engage in true soul-silence, I have to be alone. Wasn’t that clever of God? To give me a deep longing for solitude, as an extrovert, keeps me safe. It keeps me tethered to Him. I hated it. Ha! Although, as I’ve learned to yield to this yearning, I’ve learned how to lean into peace. I’ve learned to listen. And suddenly what I once hated, became my life-line.
What is it for you? What is the area in the “3 S’s” that really challenges you the most in this season? Of course we need all of them in good measure. Maybe we start with one that seems fun! And go from there… Sitting still and listening to music...or walking in silence...or protecting a space from your phone for a while to maintain a place of real solitude…
May the Lord put a highlighter on one of these three for you in this season of prayer and fasting.
May we pursue what the Holy Spirit is beckoning us to pursue.
May we lean into our areas of challenge.
May we realize that, like any discipline, yielding to the wholeness the Holy Spirit wants to offer us, will be so beautiful and refreshing…in time. With practice. With His help.
He will meet us in this holy quest for communion with Him. Let us make room.
He has promised us His Presence.
I invite you to read these words of Jesus as true… as facts…as a declaration over you and your household (instead of as a “possibility based on effort”)...
Matthew 11:28-30 (AMP)
28 “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavily burdened [by religious rituals that provide no peace], and I will give you rest [refreshing your souls with salvation]. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me[following Me as My disciple], for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest (renewal, blessed quiet) for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy [to bear] and My burden is light.”
Matthew 11:28-30 (The Message)
28-30 “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”
