Silence and Solitude
Personal Spiritual Disciplines • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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1 God is our refuge and strength, a helper who is always found in times of trouble.
10 “Stop fighting, and know that I am God, exalted among the nations, exalted on the earth.”
30 The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all that they had done and taught.
31 He said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a remote place and rest for a while.” For many people were coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.
I. The purpose of silence and solitude.
I. The purpose of silence and solitude.
The purpose is relational. It is a time set apart to only interact with God.
II. Silence - the intentional practice of not speaking.
II. Silence - the intentional practice of not speaking.
This silence is designed to allow the person to listen to God.
Silence is an unnatural practice, especially for some people.
Question: How do you handle silence?
Question: How do you handle silence?
Try having a moment of silence.
III. Solitude - the intentional act of separating oneself from others to spend time with God.
III. Solitude - the intentional act of separating oneself from others to spend time with God.
Prolonged solitude can drive a person crazy.
There is a reason that incarceration is used as a punishment. And extreme cases require solitary confinement.
Solitude is not time spent by yourself, it is time spent with God.
In the 1950’s NASA conducted a five month isolation experience to study the effects of isolation on astronauts.
During this time, Whilden Breen, a teacher and veteran. would spend five months in isolation . During this time he would haver to complete daily task and perform exercises and other duties for food and cigarettes. He struggled with the experiment but finally made it to the end. However, his time was not without issue. He began to curse the experimenters, questioned the validity of the study, and ditched his book writing hobby because of the inability to focus. In the end, he apologized for his actions and attitude during the study and stated that he had come to the conclusion that he did in fact like people.
Questions:
Questions:
How do you find time for solitude?
How do you find time for solitude?
How do you schedule your solitude?
How do you schedule your solitude?
How do you prevent distractions during this time?
How do you prevent distractions during this time?
