In Quietness and Trust

“Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him” (Psalm 62:1)

Today, I would like to discuss the practice of solitude and meditation. American culture is a constant bustle of noise, energy, and business. As individuals, we do not understand the practice of silence or the discipline of solitude. We might have been like the children of Israel to whom God spoke through Isaiah saying, “This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says: "In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it” (Isaiah 30:15, NIV). The passage of Isaiah 30 speaks about the frantic state of the Israelites. They were a nation in chaos, and they were trusting and relying on their own strength and plans to save them. However, God reminds them, through Isaiah, that it is only in repentance and rest that they will find salvation and it is in quietness and trust that they will experience strength. The passage concludes with the Israelites choosing their own path, and in so doing, choosing destruction.

Time alone with God is essential in personal development and spiritual discipline. Bonhoeffer speaks to these things in his chapter entitled “The Day Alone”. In a previous chapter, Bonhoeffer explains the importance of Christian community and time together. In this chapter, he states the importance of time alone in preparing for time together. He states: “The day together will be unfruitful without the day alone, both for the community and for the individual” (57). When we spend time along with God, we are better equipped to encourage the community of faith. 

How you ask, can one practice and structure his or her time alone. Bonhoeffer shares three practical aspects that can structure a person’s time alone. The first aspect is that of meditation on Scripture. Meditating on Scripture is an essential practice in quieting one’s heart and mind before God and filling one’s mind with the words of God. It can be difficult to slow one’s mind down enough to spend time in silence. However, an effective way to do this is by reading and meditating on Scripture. The second aspect of time alone is prayer. Communicating with God through prayer is a privilege that belongs to all who believe. When we spend time alone, prayer is an essential part of that time. Finally, intercession is the third aspect of time alone. When we are alone with God, we spend time meditating on Scripture, praying, and then interceding on behalf of others. This is one of the ways that time alone in interceding for the community is essential in preparation for time together.

I would like to conclude with the words of Bonhoeffer: “Blessed are those who are alone in the strength of the community. Blesses are those who preserve community in the strength of solitude. But the strength of solitude and the strength community is the strength of the Word of God alone…” (67) May you find rest and strength in time alone with God your Father, and may you enrich the community of faith as you are strengthened in time alone.