STRENGTH IN SOLITUDE
Pastor Jessica Fernandez, Ph.D
September 11, 2022
There are many times in life when we experience loneliness - times when we feel alone, empty, and disconnected. On the contrary, solitude is a sense of deep connection with our God where we find a sense of belonging. Jesus often spent time in silence and solitude to encounter the Father. Loneliness is dependent on what is happening around us, whereas solitude is time alone that is focused solely on our dependence on God. In times of loneliness, encountering the Father produces strength in solitude.
1. SOLITUDE IS GOD’S REMEDY FOR LONELINESS.
“Like many other feelings in our lives, it’s easier to experience it than to define it. Loneliness is being all by yourself even when you’re surrounded by people. Loneliness is a feeling of isolation even in the midst of a crowd. You feel unwanted. You feel unneeded. You feel as though there’s nothing to live for. You feel as though nobody really cares anymore. That’s loneliness. Loneliness eats away at the inner person. It saps you of strength. It robs you of hope, Loneliness, as it were, puts a wall around you no matter how free you may be.”
- Warren Wiersbe
2. LONELINESS IS NOT BEING ALONE, BUT FEELING ALONE. You can BE alone and not FEEL lonely at all.
“I found solitary confinement the most forbidding (hostile) aspect of prison life. There is no end and no beginning; there is only one’s mind, which can begin to play tricks. Was that a dream or did it really happen? One begins to question everything.” - Nelson Mandela
“Solitude is a gift from God, but isolation is a tool of the enemy.” - Carey Nieuwhof
3. IN TIMES OF LONELINESS, ENCOUNTERING THE FATHER PRODUCES STRENGTH IN SOLITUDE.
“If we possess inward solitude we do not fear being alone, for we know that we are not alone. Neither do we fear being with others, for they do not control us. In the midst of noise and confusion, we are settled into a deep inner silence. Whether alone or among people, we always carry with us a portable sanctuary of the heart.” - Richard Foster
• If Jesus, the son of God, the savior of the world had made time to connect with God, without distractions, how much more do we need to be practicing the spiritual discipline of solitude?
• If time with God is so important and beneficial - why is it so hard?
“Solitude is the Spiritual Discipline of voluntarily and temporarily withdrawing to privacy for spiritual purposes. The period of solitude may last only a few minutes or for days. As with silence, solitude may be sought in order to participate without interruption in other Spiritual Disciplines, or just to be alone with God.”
- Donald S. Whitney, Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life
4. IN THE BUSYNESS AND CRAZINESS OF OUR LIVES, HOW CAN WE DISCONNECT AND UNPLUG TO PRACTICE SOLITUDE?
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DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Have there been times when you thought you were engaging in solitude and you were actually isolating yourself?
2. Have there been specific times when engaging in solitude gave you the strength to deal with certain situations? Or, has God revealed to you areas in your life that need to be dealt with?
3. What are some strategies you can implement in your life to increase time in solitude?
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