Solitude Isn't Just Being Alone
Download MP3Welcome to a place of peace, hope, and divine encouragement. This is Joy in Every Step with your host, beloved preacher, retired teacher, and faithful through the valleys or dancing on the mountaintops, Sarita's voice will guide you back to his promises step by step. So open your heart, settle your spirit, and take the next step in faith with joy in every step.
Sarita Bernadette:Hi. I'm Sarita Bernadette, and welcome back to another episode of Joy in Every Step. I'm glad you're here. I'd like to begin by asking a question. Do we as a society have something against solitude?
Sarita Bernadette:You know, we live in an age when much of our time is spent with others, whether it's in person or on social media. We're always around someone else or doing something with someone else. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, on average Americans spend about 4.25 hours a day with others. This includes time spent with family, friends and co workers. It excludes however time spent alone or in activities like sleeping.
Sarita Bernadette:During that time alone, get this, data suggests that people ages 16 to 44 are spending anywhere from one to three hours on social media every day. And there is data to suggest people are spending four point five hours watching TV. Now I didn't do all the math to put all that together. Feel free to explore that on your own. But what I do take away from those numbers is the fact that we are spending a good bit of our days busy, busy, engaged in one activity or another.
Sarita Bernadette:So I ask again, do we as a society have something against solitude? Solitude. Solitude is officially defined as the state or situation of being alone. However, I believe solitude is the choice to be alone and to use that time either for prayer, for reflection, for studying or simply enjoying one's own company. Yes, that last part got you, didn't it?
Sarita Bernadette:Simply enjoying one's own company. I'm not addressing loneliness here. Now let's be clear, I'll leave that for another episode. An only child, I hated being alone. I remember crying for a sibling for a long time.
Sarita Bernadette:I spent a lot of years lamenting to my parents about not having a sibling and obviously it didn't happen. So I surrounded myself with friends and family. Then finally, as a young adult, somewhere right after college, I asked God to help me learn to enjoy time alone because I realized I couldn't always be with others. I had to learn to be with me and I had to like it. What I've discovered over the years is that we are not alone.
Sarita Bernadette:We're never alone. God is always with us. Psalm 4six 10 reads, Still and know that I am God. I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world.
Sarita Bernadette:That first part of that verse or the A clause is what we quote most often. The part that says, be still and know, be still, be still it tells us be calm, quiet yourself, being still here is an act of surrender. The passion translation of that same verse says to surrender your anxiety, be still and realize that I am God. Surrender, surrender. I'm going to come back to that a little later.
Sarita Bernadette:That verse in the passion translation goes on to say the commander of all the armies is with us. He's always with us. And that verse ends with pause in his presence. Pause in his presence. Pause in solitude.
Sarita Bernadette:Solitude is radical in today's world. It's a bold move. In a world so busy and full of activity, there's even a phrase for this thing that many of us are experiencing because we feel that we have to be involved with everything that's going on around us, everything that comes our way, everything that comes across our radar. You've probably heard this phrase before, FOMO, fear of missing out. Yeah, it's a real thing.
Sarita Bernadette:And some of us are going through that. Some of us feel that thing on a daily basis. But but some of us have heard the solution to this phenomenon and we've begun to practice it. Jomo, the joy of missing out. You literally replace the fear with joy.
Sarita Bernadette:It's it's a shift for us. Instead of fear, you experience a sense of peace and oh yes, satisfaction when you choose to sit out or bypass some things and spend time taking care of your spirit and your soul. There's a word that shows up 74 times they say 74 different times in the book of Psalms and the book of Habakkuk. The word is Selah, Selah. There's some debate about the exact meaning.
Sarita Bernadette:However, there is general agreement about its intended meaning to pause, take a moment, contemplate and calmly think about this. There have been many times in my life when I've had to actively surrender. That is willingly give up what I was carrying, what I was burdened with, let it go and pause, pause, take a beat and calmly sit in the presence of the Lord. There are times when we are so very overwhelmed by the vicissitudes of life that we need a Silah. We need one.
Sarita Bernadette:Our sense of his presence gets covered up and clouded by this busy world so full of noise, so cluttered with distractions. When we pause, we actually uncover his presence. As we let go of the things we've deemed urgent, we find that he is indeed upholding us in his righteous right hand. When we get still, we're reminded of the fact that he wants to commune with us. The Father wants our fellowship.
Sarita Bernadette:He doesn't need it, we need it. He actually wants it. He wants to be near to us. Revelation twenty one and three reads, I heard a loud shout from the throne saying, look, God's home is now among his people. He will live with them and they will be his people.
Sarita Bernadette:God himself will be with them. Beloved God himself is with us. In the pause, in His presence, we find peace, power, reassurance, comfort, and yes, joy. I believe the best pauses are experienced when we take time away from all the things going on in our lives and we choose to spend time with God. In the gospels, we see that Jesus was intentional about getting away to be with the father.
Sarita Bernadette:He set an example for us to follow. When we look at his example, we see him seeking the Father's presence in many situations. Jesus knew spending time in the Father's presence was necessary as He moved toward filling His mission here on earth. The Word of God records some of those times and I'd like to share some of them with you because I believe you'll find yourself somewhere in these verses of scripture. In Mark one verse 35, after a long day of ministering to all those who were sick or possessed by demons, the Bible says they brought the whole city to the door of Jesus, my goodness and he didn't turn them away.
Sarita Bernadette:He cured them and cast out many demons. It tells us in the morning while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place and there he prayed. He went to simply find some rest. We too can find rest when we seek him. 15, Luke five rather verses fifteen and sixteen, the Bible tells us, but now more than ever the word about Jesus spread abroad.
Sarita Bernadette:Many crowds were gathering to hear him and to be cured of their diseases. Meanwhile, he would slip away to deserted places and pray. There it is again. We see that Jesus needed to get away from the crowds that were thronging him. So he sought the presence of God and there he found refuge in a deserted place.
Sarita Bernadette:Jesus embraced solitude. He knew it was precious. In Luke six verses 12 through 13 we read, Now during those days, he went out to the mountain to pray and he spent the night in prayer to God. And when day came, he called his disciples and chose 12 of them whom he named apostles. Jesus spends time on a mountain with the Lord as he is preparing to choose the 12 who would walk with him during his earthly ministry and as he prepares for what has come to be known as the Sermon on the Mount.
Sarita Bernadette:That's huge. He understood that he needed time to be with the Lord as he embarked on his important journey, this important part of his life's work here on earth. The lesson is that we too must seek the Father when we're preparing for the next part of our assignment. Jesus was keenly aware of what was ahead and he still sought the presence of the Father. Seek the presence of the Lord beloved.
Sarita Bernadette:He holds the future. In Matthew fourteen thirteen Jesus hears the news that John the Baptist has been martyred and the scripture says, Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a deserted place by himself But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. They followed him, but Jesus withdrew. He went off away from the noise of the crowd to grieve in the presence of the Lord. Once again, he sought the Father for comfort.
Sarita Bernadette:Even though those folk followed him afterwards, he still got away first to be with God. So after the disciples had been out in the villages teaching and they had buried the body of John the Baptist right before the feeding of the 5,000, Jesus suggested that they go away all together, all of them together. The scripture reads in Mark six thirty and thirty two, the apostles gathered around Jesus and told him all that they had done and taught. He said to them, come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while. For many were coming and going and they had no leisure even to eat.
Sarita Bernadette:And they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves. An apostle's retreat. Sometimes we need to get away and seek the Lord along with other like minded people. Group solitude. Yes, group solitude sounds like an oxymoron, doesn't it?
Sarita Bernadette:But it can be so rewarding as we seek to rest and to draw closer to the Lord and to recognize his voice more clearly. It's during these times that we are able to unplug and yet reconnect at the same time. We're able to spend time alone in fellowship with God while also spending valuable time in fellowship with other believers who are also seeking a closer relationship with the Lord. So back to that scripture in Mark six thirty and thirty two, Jesus and the apostles weren't alone, but they were away in a deserted place, away from the clamoring crowd being restored and rejuvenated in the presence of the Lord. Yes, group solitude.
Sarita Bernadette:Mark six forty five and forty six, immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side to Bethsaida while he dismissed the crowd. After saying farewell to them, he went up on the mountain to pray. Now this is just before Peter walked to him on water. Jesus dismissed the crowd that had gathered there to hear him and he went off alone again to be with the Father for fellowship and for restoration. Solitude.
Sarita Bernadette:After healing many and before feeding 4,000, we read of another instance and this is in Matthew chapter 15 verse 29. It says, After Jesus had left that place, he passed along the Sea Of Galilee and he went up the mountain where he sat down. Jesus sat down. He sat there on the mountain in solitude, no doubt preparing for what was to come. We don't know how long he was there before the crowds gathered and he performed yet another miracle but Jesus knew he needed a moment.
Sarita Bernadette:He needed a moment. Even Jesus needed a moment alone. Let's work on remembering to get with God when we are heading into the next thing, Whatever it is, take time away from the noise to hear what the Lord has to say about it. Before the crucifixion in Mark chapter 14 verses 32 through 35, we read, they went to a place called Gethsemane and he said to his disciples, sit here while I pray. That piece of scripture goes on to tell us that Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and it says that he, Jesus, was distressed and agitated.
Sarita Bernadette:Yes, Jesus, our Lord. And he said to them, my soul is deeply grieved even to death. Remain here and keep awake. Verse 35 says, And going a little further, he threw himself on the ground and prayed that if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. We can all take a lesson as we read about this time in the earthly life of our Savior.
Sarita Bernadette:He was upset and he didn't try to hide it. He came to God in a solitary moment and he was honest. There was no pretense. He was struggling with the task ahead and he let the father know about it. He came to him and he asked for help.
Sarita Bernadette:What's huge here is that he committed to remain obedient no matter what the response was. Solitude provides an opportunity for us to take off our masks and to be real with the Lord. We can bring our sorrows and our griefs to him and we can expect that he is going to be full of compassion. It doesn't mean that the cup of suffering will be taken away, but as we go through whatever it is we're faced with, we know that God will be right there with us. So let's drive this point home beloved.
Sarita Bernadette:Solitude isn't just being alone. Solitude is about communion and fellowship with God. Solitude is about comfort and reassurance in his presence. Solitude is about rest in him. Solitude is about restoration and rejuvenation in His presence.
Sarita Bernadette:Solitude has real value and benefits. We can find self reflection and healing there alone with the Lord. Alone in his presence, we can gain clarity and understanding about his plans for our lives and often there in that solitary place is where he activates our creativity and our productivity. Yes, solitude. There's a quote I found a while back that speaks to the value of solitude.
Sarita Bernadette:This is from Oswald Chambers. Some of you know him, great writer. He wrote, solitude with God repairs the damage done by the fret and noise and clamor of the world. It repairs it. Now, I'm aware that for some of us, it may be hard to find time to get away.
Sarita Bernadette:But I believe even a short amount of time carved out intentionally to spend with God is valuable. It doesn't have to be two hours. Maybe it's thirty minutes, maybe it's fifteen or ten. Don't let your inability to commit to a long block of time prevent you from spending part of your day in the presence of the Lord. And it may not look just like what you want it to allow the Lord to show you how you can do it.
Sarita Bernadette:If you pray about it, if you listen for strategy, and you shuffle some things around, the time will show up, and it will be worth it. And you may have to give something up, You may have to cut something less important out of your schedule, but it will be worth it. There's much to be gained. This kind of solitude is necessary. Here are just a few tips for your quiet time for for for getting it done.
Sarita Bernadette:Commit to morning prayer. Yep, set that alarm and don't hit snooze. Work on creating a special spot in your home. Maybe it's on your porch or on your your back deck. Use that space, dedicate that space for your time alone in his presence.
Sarita Bernadette:Work on copying memorizing scriptures. That's so beneficial. Listen to scripture as you commute to work or you run errands. Take a moment to read a few verses out of your scripture on your lunch break or whenever your break is. Take time out.
Sarita Bernadette:Just read just a few verses and I love this one. Use your favorite study tools, highlighters, colored pencils, markers, whatever floats your boat in your study time, in your time alone, in your time of solitude. Commit to reading Scripture as a part of your bedtime routine. And remember, there should be and can be times when you just do nothing, but sit in His presence, just sit quietly. You might pray and then just wait, wait for Him to respond.
Sarita Bernadette:Just listen. And lastly, don't give up. Keep trying. If you fall out of your routine, get back in there and keep trying. If one thing doesn't work, try something else.
Sarita Bernadette:Time spent alone in the presence of God is both necessary and beneficial. You've been listening to Joy in Every Step. I'm Sarita Bernadette and I'm grateful that you chose to spend some time here with me. You can find Joy in Every Step wherever you listen to your podcasts and do give us a follow there. Also check out our website at joyineverystep.org.
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