God Speaks in Solitude

Denison Ministries

Weekly Overview:

You and I have been given the invaluable gift of communication with God. Last week we learned about the process of making the soil of our hearts soft and receptive to God. This week we’ll learn some different ways to receive the seed of his word. May your communion with God flourish as you engage in continual conversation with your loving, present heavenly Father.

Scripture:“Be still, and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10

Devotional:

Solitude—a time set apart where the rush, noise, and anxiety of the world fall mute on the ears and heart of a child of God completely lost in the peace and presence of the Creator. Solitude is a time to be with your heavenly Father, free from the distractions the world offers us at seemingly every moment. We are made for consistent time spent in solitude.

C.S. Lewis wrote in The Weight of Glory, “We live, in fact, in a world starved for solitude, silence, and private: and therefore starved for meditation and true friendship.”Most of us have grown accustomed to what truly does amount to being “starved” for solitude. We never fully realize how great our need is to be alone with our Sustainer. Let’s take some time today to recognize our need for solitude and then learn how to best practice solitude on a daily basis.

You can know that you need solitude for one reason—Jesus needed it. All over the New Testament we see examples of Jesus going off on his own to pray. One example, Mark 1:35, tells us that Jesus, “rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark . . . departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.” Jesus, who practiced perfect communion with his heavenly Father while here on earth still needed to spend time in solitude. Jesus, who loved parties, loved people, and was God and man simultaneously, needed time alone. If he needed it, you and I can be sure we need it. When God incarnate was up against his hardest task, the Crucifixion, he didn’t just toughen up and get through it. He spent time alone in the Garden of Gethsemane in conversation with his heavenly Father. He needed solitude to accomplish his purpose here on earth and so do you and I.

Solitude is life-giving. It’s necessary to the Christian spiritual life. Richard J. Foster said, “Loneliness is inner emptiness. Solitude is inner fulfillment.”Solitude is one of the most important and life-giving spiritual disciplines. If you want to hear God, you must practice solitude. If you want fortitude in your life, a steadfastness that surpasses your circumstances, you must practice solitude. You are designed for time spent in the quiet, simply being with your heavenly Father.

So how can you best practice solitude? The first step is finding a place where you can spend time with God free from distractions. Find a place where you know you won’t be interrupted. If you live with others, find a time when they will not be around or awake. If you live alone, designate a place and time that you will spend in solitude free from any distractions. Second, give yourself an amount of time to spend with God just being in solitude. It could be ten minutes or an hour. Spend this time free from reading, free from worship or prayer unless solitude leads you to those things. Madeleine L’Engle said, “Deepest communion with God is beyond words, on the other side of silence.”Solitude is a point of deep communion where words aren’t required in light of God’s glorious nearness.

Take some time today to practice the incredible discipline of solitude. Be patient with yourself. Be patient with God. Fill the emptiness of silence with the satisfaction of God’s presence. Your heavenly Father loves just simply spending time with you, enjoying deep communion with his crown of creation. You are his child. Climb into the comforting and sustaining arms of your heavenly Father today as you enter into a time of solitude.        

Guided Prayer:

1. Find a place free from distractions. Ask the Spirit to calm your heart and mind and help you to spend time in deep communion with God.

2. Spend a few minutes simply resting with God in solitude.

“And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.” Mark 1:35

“Deepest communion with God is beyond words, on the other side of silence.” Madeleine L’Engle

3. Write down how solitude made you feel. If you felt uncomfortable or frustrated, that’s alright! Solitude and silence is something most of us have never practiced. Have patience with yourself.

Solitude is a practice. The more you do it the better and more fulfilling it will become. Once you connect with God’s heart free of words and just look at him face to face, his gaze will become one of the most important parts of your life. Knowing experientially that your heavenly Father sees you and loves you is meant to be at the foundation of everything you do. Commit yourself to spend time in solitude with God and learn what it is to be a child simply enjoyed by the Father.

Extended Reading: Psalm 46

No Greater Love ..... Dr. Charles Stanley

 No Greater Love

Dr. Charles Stanley

John 15:12-14

Perhaps the most intense love and protective instinct in the experience of mankind is that of parents toward their children. There is little that most mothers or fathers wouldn't do for a baby. If a truck posed a threat to the little one, it wouldn't surprise us if they jumped in front of the moving vehicle without a second thought.

Wouldn't you like to be cared for with this kind of intensity? You are. In fact, the Lord's love toward you is far deeper and more secure than that of even the most caring, tuned-in human parent. And what God did for us is proof. Romans 5:8 says that while we were living in disobedience, He sent His only Son to die on the cross for us.

Think about a father giving up his child for people who choose to rebel against him. What a tremendous sacrifice and cost! Jesus' death took the place of the punishment that we deserved. If we accept this gift and decide to follow God, He no longer sees us as guilty. Rather, He justifies us, makes us righteous, and changes our ultimate destiny: instead of facing everlasting separation from Him, we will enjoy His presence eternally. What's more, almighty God adopts us as His children forever. Our heavenly Father guides, protects, and counsels us as we walk through life—and promises us that we are secure in Him throughout eternity.

How incredible that the Creator of the universe would love you and me in this way! Do you know and experience the security and sweetness of His care? Gratitude and praise should flow from your heart. In turn, love others deeply out of thankfulness for the love that you have received.

The Slow, Healing Work of Winter..... JENNIFER DUKES LEE

 The Slow, Healing Work of Winter

JENNIFER DUKES LEE 

“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven …” Ecclesiastes 3:1 (ESV)

As I was growing up in a rural community, my first job was “rock picker.”

The work was about as glamorous as it sounds.

A farmer would round up a bunch of kids to come to his farm and “pick rock.” It was a funny phrase, now that I think of it, because we didn’t pick just one rock. There were hundreds.

We’d sit on a flatbed trailer behind a tractor, and he’d drive straight into the field, pulling us behind as we jostled with every bump.

If we saw a rock, we hopped off, ran to grab it and hollered “Rock!” before tossing it onto the trailer. The shout was a warning so the others would jump off to avoid being clobbered in the head. (Clearly, we had high workplace safety standards.) Our team of rock pickers covered miles a day.

The next year, we’d return, picking rock in the same fields because new stones always emerged. Any farmer will tell you that rocks are a nuisance, but they simply must be dealt with. If they are left in the fields, stones can harm farming equipment.

You may wonder how rocks keep emerging. There isn’t some “rock fairy” dropping stones onto fields to annoy farmers. Instead, stones are heaved forth in the frost/thaw cycle of the earth.

My husband, a farmer, says this is winter’s way of “healing the land.” Isn’t that a beautiful way of thinking about it? 

The land can’t heal without winter.

I think the same is true of us. We all need winter seasons to heal us — and to unearth rock-like burdens embedded in the soil of our hearts.

Where I live, most people want to avoid the cold dreariness of winter. We prefer the hopefulness of spring, warmth of summer and vibrance of autumn.

In the same way, most people want to avoid winter seasons of life. I’ve never heard someone say, “I am so excited for a winter season in my soul!” We’d prefer continuously moving through spring, summer and fall — enjoying the growth and joy those seasons bring.

Yet the wise Solomon tells us that the human experience unfolds over all seasons — not only our favorite ones. “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven …” (Ecclesiastes 3:1)

In Ecclesiastes 3, he writes that life is a passage through various times: a time to be born and to die, to weep and to laugh, to keep silent and to speak. Not all of those verses are the kind you would cross-stitch onto a pillow. Yet there’s little doubt we will go through all seasons — including winter.

Perhaps that is a good thing. If a field needs winter to heal, people do, too. Winter seasons compel us to slow down, reflect and give God room to “pick rock” in our hearts.

We all have rocks — the unseen burdens we haul around in our hearts like unwanted baggage. My stones are heavy:

Hurtful words spoken over me when I was a child.
The secret fear that I’m not lovable.
Worries about my children, which keep me awake at night.
My sins.
New, bad habits I pick up over time.

I am good at keeping old stones buried by putting the hand to the plow so I don’t have to deal with them. But hidden stones still cut our insides. What stones are wounding your soul?

Just as winter heals the land, Jesus wants to heal us. Will we let Him?

Think of your heart as a field. If Jesus were standing with you on the edge of that field, I imagine He would leave no stone unturned. Like Solomon wrote, “for everything there is a season” (Ecclesiastes 3:1), including seasons for gathering stones: “a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together …” (Ecclesiastes 3:5, ESV).

What a beautiful image — Jesus gathering stones to make your heart-field new again. There is no rock too big for Jesus. He specializes in rolling stones away, including the one in front of His own tomb.

Slow down, my friend. Allow winter to do its work. Jesus has come to “pick rock.”

Dear God, part of me resists the slow, healing work of winter. But I know that there are rocks in the field of my heart, and You are the One who can roll them away. Please come “pick rock” in my heart right now, showing me the hard places I may not even be aware of, and till the soil so that You can grow something new and beautiful in me. Thank You that You are with me for every step of my healing. In Jesus’ Name, Amen. 

 

A Prayer to Trust God with Your Children..... By Victoria Riollano

 A Prayer to Trust God with Your Children

By Victoria Riollano 

For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.- Romans 8:38-39

I will never forget when my daughter started to have seizures. A child who had been in perfect health her entire life, at the age of four, was hit with a daunting diagnosis, epilepsy. Questions filled my mind daily. Would she ever be able to drive? Would she be on medication her entire life? Would she be treated differently? I wondered how and why God would allow this. I rationalized in my own mind the cause of what seemed so unfair. Perhaps, it was my own sin that caused this upon her or maybe I had upset God in some way. Although deep down I knew this wasn’t God’s punishment, I couldn’t help but want to get a final answer from God.

During this time, there were many sleepless nights. I worried that at any time her next grand mal seizure could end in death. The fear of losing her overtook me, causing me to be anxious, depressed, and distant from the others in my life. I had made up my mind: my daughter would not die on my watch. 

Yet, after years of frustration, the Lord spoke to me something very clear, “I love your daughter more than you ever could. Will you trust me?”

I had never considered this before. Yet, the more I started to pray and seek Him, the more He revealed His undying love for my daughter and myself. Not only did He love her, He knew everything about her. Before she breathed, her first breath He was there. Who she would grow up to be and her inner thoughts; none of them were a mystery to Him. 

Psalm 139:14-16 says it like this: I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth.  Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.

No part of my daughter’s story was a surprise. She was never abandoned or forgotten by Him. In fact, He knew her the sound of her cry before I would ever lay eyes on her. What wonderous love!

The moments I truly embraced the love of the Father for His children I was able to release control. My years of depression and sleepless nights have since dissipated and God continues to show His grace. So much so, that after ten years of medication, my daughter is now completely healed, with no signs of seizures! Truly God is good and constantly reminding us of His heart, even when we can’t see His hand.

In the moments when we feel overwhelmed by circumstances with our children, we must remember that He loves them more than we ever could. His plan for their lives was well thought about while they were still in the womb. Our role is to run to Him for guidance on how we can love His children better. There is freedom and victory in recognizing that God is their Father, above all.

For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. - Romans 8:38-39

Let’s Pray:

Dear Lord, 

I thank you for those you have given me the privilege of nurturing. Although it comes with much responsibility, help me to never forget that you love them more than I ever could. Father, if there are times I become obsessive or overwhelmed by the circumstance, I ask that you give me your peace. Show me, Lord, how to surrender my parenting to you.

I thank you Lord that you are a good God. Even when I don’t understand why, help me to trust your heart for me and my child. Teach me to walk in faith and courage, even when its hard. Thank you for your love for me and those you have entrusted me with. 

In Jesus Name, Amen.

Learning to be Content..... by Anna Kuta

 Learning to be Content

by Anna Kuta

“Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:11-13).

I am not a patient person. I admit it. Whether I’m stuck behind a slow driver on a one-lane road, counting down the hours to a particular event, or realizing that something I’ve been looking forward to has been postponed, waiting has never been something easy for me.

Wishing for the future is also something I’ve often struggled with. Whether counting down to high school graduation, the start of college, college graduation or my first job, it seemed at the time like each of those things could not come fast enough. It isn’t until looking back that I realize in each of those seasons of life God was teaching me things and using me for a particular purpose right where I was. That’s not to say I don’t still struggle with the “grass is greener” syndrome, though. I’ve been out of college for nine months now and gotten settled into my job, but these days, especially as Valentine’s Day rolls around, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t get discouraged by being a single girl sometimes.

But look at what Paul says in Philippians 4:11. He says he has learned to be content in any situation – “everywhere and in all things.” The Greek word for “content” here literally means “independent of others, having sufficiency in one’s self” – but Paul is referring to one’s new self in Christ, because only God can teach the ability to be content. Paul says he has learned to be content in the good and the bad, in the times of abundance and the times of want, because he can do all things through Christ who strengthens him. I think the keyword here is that Paul learned, and it’s possible for us to learn as well. Being content does not necessarily mean being resigned to the fact that you might not get what you want; it means being willing to let God teach you and work through you wherever you are at the moment.

When I start to get impatient or start wishing some area of my life would just hurry up, I remind myself what the Lord says in Jeremiah 29:11, that he has a plan and purpose for those who follow Him. As Ecclesiastes 3:1 says, “To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven.” God’s timetables are not necessarily ours, but there are lessons He wants to teach us in each season of life. For me, it means growing closer to the Lord during the single years of my 20s and using this time to serve Him to the fullest wherever He needs me. With His help, I’m learning to be content, and you can learn too. Don’t be so busy wishing for a different situation that you miss what Jesus has in store for you right here and now – lean on the strength of God and let Him teach you what it means to be content in all things.

Intersecting Faith & Life

Have there been times in your life when you didn’t realize what God was teaching you until you looked back? How can God use you in your current situation? Wherever you are now, remember that God has a purpose and a plan for this season. Through Christ who gives us strength, we can do all things, and that includes learning to be content.

Further Reading

Philippians 4:19
Psalm 27:14
Psalm 37:3-5
Isaiah 40:31