Get Alone: Silence Red – Answer Questions | Blue – Read Scripture When a man and woman are in love, they find time to get alone. The same is true with Disciples. They make time to get alone with God. The two Get-Alone practices are and Silence and Solitude. Silence is freedom from words: others’ and our own. It’s freedom from sounds. There’s a time to be silent and a time to speak (Ecclesiastes 3:7) Sadly, we seem addicted to noise and allergic to silence. “You rarely find any person who has made great progress in the spiritual life that did not have much time in solitude and silence.” (Dallas Willard) (Ask, how long could you survive without food? Not long. Without noise and words? Hmmm ... no wonder we don’t hear God speak!) Why Silence? Two reasons. The first is easy: you can’t talk and listen too. A Disciple must learn to hear God, and he mostly whispers (1 Kings 19:1-12). The other reason? If we experience something beyond amazing, we’re often speechless. There are no words to express emotion, just “Wow!” and a silent wonder. (Read 1 Kings 19 together. What does it mean, God mostly whispers? Talk about a time you were speechless. How does “speechless with wonder” apply to you, regarding God?)
Our romance with God deepens when we’re alone and silent before him. We sense His beauty, His creativity, His awesome fills-the-universe nature, His kindness and grace to us. We learn to recognize His voice, then we answer. Quiet heart-to-heart sharing is the privilege of those in love. Be still [cease striving] and know that I am God (Psalm 46:10). It’s the invitation God gives each of his children. Sadly, few respond. Most North American Christians are strangers to silence and solitude. We’re a product of a 24/7 surround-sound culture. In the quiet, sporting events play music. As soon as get into the car, we’re connected to Spotify. When we walk into a room at home, a TV is blaring. It’s nearly impossible to get away, to get quiet. Honestly, when we do encounter silence, it can be unnerving. (Discuss the nonstop noise around us. How does it affect us? How do we shut it off?) The Spiritual discipline of silence means no music. No words, even our own. Just God’s Word, and the Spirit’s quiet instruction to us. We must make time to be quiet, undistracted. God won’t intrude nor compete for our attention. It’s a choice: do we value intimacy enough to attend to Him? What if He’s speaking, 37
