Seeking Solitude: A Prayer In Silence

He lets me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still and quiet waters. He refreshes my soul.

Psalm 23:2-3a AMP

As an 11-year-old boy with a strong passion for serving God, I spent a short time in a Christian junior seminary. There used to be a day set aside for silent meditation called a Day of Solemn Silence when we were not allowed to talk to anyone for more than half of the day. The only words were spoken in worship at the chapel. As you would imagine it felt like a punishment to me at the time – (how do you even tell an 11-year-old to be quiet even for one minute?!).

As I grew older, I would go on to develop myself spending over an hour each morning in silent prayer where my spiritual mind became more active in meditative prayer before God. I believe this was the bedrock of my spiritual development.

I love the atmosphere of loud, exuberant worship, praise, and prayer, but I have also discovered that deep personal revelations and supernatural encounters come in the place of solitude and quietness. Ecclesiastes 3:7 tells us that there is a time to be silent.

Biblical Examples

There are many examples in the Bible where people found God in moments of solitude. Adam and Eve met God in the cool of the day (Gen.3:8), Abraham received direction from God when he separated from Lot and was alone (Gen.13:14), Jacob’s name and destiny were changed in solitude (Gen 32:24), Elijah heard God’s voice in a still small voice after the noise of storms and earthquakes (1Kings 19:12), and David said that God leads him beside still waters to restore his soul. Most importantly, Jesus often withdrew to a solitary place to be alone with God, and His ministry started after 40 days of solitude and all-night prayer(Luke 4:42).

Understanding Solitude

Solitude is not the absence of sound but an inner attitude of quiet contemplation before the presence of the one who knows us better than we know ourselves. It is an attitude of the mind. However, withdrawing to a quiet environment if possible, will greatly enhance your experience. Oftentimes we have a lot to say in the place of prayer. But the most powerful prayers are not necessarily the loudest. Like Hannah in the Bible we just groan in words too deep to be spoken. We speak in silence to God who can interpret the sounds of our spirits. In this place of silent prayer, we give room for God to show us who we are by revealing Himself to us. This way we reflect and are changed into our true image. The real picture becomes clearer. 1 John 3:2 tells us that we are God’s offspring now even though we do not see it outwardly. But when Jesus appears, we will realize that we are just like him because He will look just like us.

Practice Solitude

Do you find yourself stressed out or anxious about the events happening around you? Are you wondering which road to take in your life’s journey? Make a practice of sober reflections. Solitude helps us prepare adequately for adversity, so it does not shake us. Also, sometimes adversity will drive us to seek solitude like it did to Jacob. Solitude helps us reflect, recharge and gain control: to stay in touch with our soul and find meaning beyond the noise around us.

We live in perilous times with many believers being tossed to and fro by various winds and doctrines. The Bible instructs us to be sober and walk circumspectly as wise and not as fools, redeeming the time because the days are evil. Seeking solitude will help us stay in alignment with the Holy Spirit to obey His leading and fulfill our calling.