A Solitary Place

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A Solitary Place by Suzanne Benner

**Do you have trouble listening to God’s voice? Are you too busy to hear Him?

“When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place” (Matthew 14:13).

“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed” (Mark 1:35).

“But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed” (Luke 5:16).

In the gospels, we see a pattern in Jesus’ life of seeking solitude. Jesus sought out quiet times to be with God. It is an example that we need to follow.

Is there no quiet place for you to go?

Susannah Wesley was a godly woman who lived in the late sixteen and early seventeen hundreds. She gave birth to nineteen children, nine of whom died in infancy. It is said that if she could not find a quiet place to pray, she would simply flip her apron over her head, as a signal that she was not to be disturbed, and pray where she was.

Maybe it isn’t that lack of quietness in our world that hinders us as much as the loss of the ability to be still.

Though the noise of our daily lives is great, sometimes the noise within our hearts is greater. We cannot be still because we are afraid of the quiet. We keep running, hoping that the hurts we have received, the pain of our own failures and our restless thoughts won’t catch up to us. We are so tired, but we can’t stop.

It is time to stop running.

It is time to make seeking out a solitary place to be with God a priority.

It is time to be still.

“Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for Him” (Psalm 37:7)

“Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10)

~Heavenly Father, I want to pattern my life after Jesus. Help me to withdraw from the busyness around me to spend time in prayer. Show me how to be still and wait on You.

Questions: What keeps you from seeking a quiet place to be alone with God? What thoughts or fears prevent you from being still?