Encounter with God
When we are in silence and solitude, we want to get ourselves to a place where we have quieted the noise and are focused on listening to God.
Let’s look at a story of Jesus life where he goes away and comes out with clarity.
Mark 1:35–39 (NLT)
Before daybreak the next morning, Jesus got up and went out to an isolated place to pray. Later Simon and the others went out to find him. When they found him, they said, “Everyone is looking for you.”
But Jesus replied, “We must go on to other towns as well, and I will preach to them, too. That is why I came.” So he traveled throughout the region of Galilee, preaching in the synagogues and casting out demons.
The disciples do not want Jesus to get away, nor do the crowds in Capernaum. They are more eager to marvel at his authority and benefit from his miraculous healing ministry than to respond appropriately to his kingdom’s message.
Jesus understood that his mission differed from what the disciples had in mind.
Healing and miracles were great, but at that moment, Jesus knew what his mission was: to go into other towns and preach the word of God to those people.
An encounter with God helps us more clearly understand our identity and more clearly see our purpose.
Identity
Contrary to what society encourages, our identity isn’t based on what we feel about ourselves or who we think we are.
In Christianity, we understand that our identity is God given.
- Solitude helps us in our identity by creating intentional time away from the noise and voices of life that impact our sense of identity.
As we spend time with God, we gain clarity on who we are in God.
Purpose:
As we start to understand our identity and feel comfortable in it, we feel safe surrendering to God’s direction in our lives.
We start to gain clarity around our purpose.
- This is what I’m meant to do or not do.
- This is what I’m meant to give my time to or not give my time to.
- This is what I’m meant to give my best effort towards or not to.
I hope this practice of silence and solitude will be a moment where you learn to connect with God and listen to his voice.
2 Chronicles 7:14 (NLT)
14 Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land.
Through practice and experience we become familiar with the tone of God’s voice, the content of his communications with us and his unique way of addressing us. We learn to recognize God’s voice just as we recognize the voice of a loved on on the other end of the phone. —Ruth Haley Barton
John 10:3–4 (NLT)
3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep recognize his voice and come to him. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they know his voice.
Ways We can learn to Discern the Will of God.
- Scripture and Logic and Wisdom.
- Wise counsel, Emotions, Circumstances.
- Impressions, Imagination, and Our-minds.
Now all of these things must flow from knowing God in a deep way. Spending time alone with him in the silence and solitude.
Practice
The Practice for this week is to write out a “Rule of Life” or a schedule for you on going practice of silence and solitude.
Try to have practices that you do at regular times of the year. So a shorter practice once a day, a longer practice once a week and an extended time of solitude once a season.
Once a day
Once a week
Once a season