Have you ever considered spending several hours alone for
fellowship with the Lord and to grow spiritually? That might sound daunting to
you. We live in a culture in which 10 seconds of silence is unnerving. Three or
four hours of silence and solitude, away from other people, might sound
wearying. I can assure you, however, that it does not have to be.
About six or so years ago, I began trying to have a pastoral
retreat. This consisted of going out of town for about 2 or 3 days to spend
time in the Word, prayer, listening to sermons, and working on long-range
planning. I used some of the time to evaluate how I was doing in my vocations
(as Christian, husband, father, pastor, friend). I read a good Christian book.
I sang songs of praise to God. I always found clarity about what matters most
as I fellowshipped with the Lord in prolonged solitude. I also found it
spiritually refreshing.
Fast forward to this past December. I was taking a class
with Dr. Don Whitney on the spiritual disciplines in the minister’s life, and one
of the assignments opened up a new way to benefit more regularly in this area. This assignment called
for me to spend four consecutive hours of silence and solitude (voluntarily withdrawing
to privacy for spiritual purposes). To my surprise, I found even just four hours
to be greatly refreshing to my soul and helpful to my walk with the Lord.
The new thing I learned was that one does not have to spend
2-3 days to gain this benefit (though that isn’t bad either, and I still recommend
it). More specifically, I realized that this could be a more regular practice
in my life and a gift I could give to my wife. We couldn’t carve out two days very often, but
we could do a few hours once a month.
Now, all this might seem like too much for you. You have
work, the lawn, and kids to care for. It might be hard to make this a priority.
It is true that we might not have this privilege in each season of life (like when
you have a newborn). However, let me encourage you to try it (maybe once a year
at first or once a quarter). We make time for what we most value and
prioritize. So, make this a priority if at all possible.
The other reason you might be apprehensive about trying it
is that you are afraid it will be boring. The thought of sitting for 3 hours
with your Bible sounds wearying, and you don’t know what to do with 3-4 hours
of solitude. So, what I want to do is give you some practical advice and a
sample schedule.
Tune in to the next post for that.
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