Today my soul finally caught up with my schedule. Life and ministry have been good this year…real good. But too much of a good thing can become a bad thing.
A busy King David sometimes needed a spiritual recharge also.
“The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I lack. He lets me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. He renews my life.” (Psalms 23:1-2 HCSB)
King David’s soul awoke beside “green pastures and still waters.” Similarly, my soul awakens in oak trees next to quiet creeks. As a matter of fact, I am writing this post twenty feet up a tree with a bow hanging next to me… and my soul is soaring!
What awakens and restores your soul?
Over the next four Mondays I will share four disciplines which have contributed to the condition of my soul. Today we will start with the discipline of solitude.
““But when you pray, go into your private room, shut your door, and pray to your Father who is in secret.” (Matthew 6:6 HCSB)
The King James version calls it a “closet.” I have always been a concrete thinker, so in college I put a chair in my dorm room closet for my prayer time. The upside to my college closet was that there were no distractions; the downside was the smell of dirty clothes.
Since then, I have found more creative and aesthetically pleasing places to be alone with God – our back porch, guest room, park bench, jogging, in trees and ground blinds, etc. Time alone with God doesn’t need to feel like a time-out. Your soul will not soar if this life-giving discipline feels like you are being disciplined.
I must admit that it is not natural for me to be alone or quiet for extended periods of time. Yet I have realized that rushing past the throne of God on the way to work won’t produce any lasting fruitl or spiritual growth.
Before Jesus began His public ministry, He spent 40 days and nights in the wilderness alone, seeking God. Jesus also sought solitude when John the Baptist was arrested, before He chose the 12 disciples, just after He healed a leper and, of course, in the Garden of Gethsemane before the crucifixion.
“In solitude, I get rid of my scaffolding.” Henri Nouwen
Do you need to remove some of the props and distractions in your life as well? Start by getting alone with God before your work day begins. I pray during my thirty minute commute to my office each morning from 6-6:30. There are no distractions or interruptions because Jesus is the only person who wants to talk to me that early!
Perhaps you could recharge your soul on your break by closing your office door for a few minutes each day. Daniel took time for prayer three times each day at work.
I encourage pastors to take 2-3 days of prayer and study off-campus each quarter, or between sermon series.
Solitude is not a solution unto itself. It only contributes to the restoration of our souls to the extent that Jesus meets us there. The Christian is never really alone, but our communion with the Father must be intentional to be fruitful.
As I finish this post, I am watching the sun go to sleep to my west. A few yards to the east I can see the doe I harvested with my bow an hour ago. My soul is soaring in solitude right now. Of course, bowhunting is not for everyone…which is maybe why I love it so much.
The next three weeks we will explore how to restore our souls with three more disciplines: stillness, silence and surrender. Don’t miss a post by subscribing on the home page of this site today.
