Engaging the Spiritual Disciplines: Solitude and Prayer
Spiritual disciplines are practices that help us to experience the presence of God in our every day life—promoting our spiritual growth and deepening our relationship with the Father. While there are several spiritual disciplines, they all can be broken down into three main categories: Inward Practices (such as prayer, fasting, and Bible reading), Outward Practices (such as simplicity, submission, and service), and Corporate Practices (such as worship, guidance, and celebration). In this post, we are going to take a closer look at two Inward Practices, solitude and prayer, and list some practical ways of how we can incorporate these habits into our daily lives.
Many times, you’ll see the spiritual discipline of solitude paired together with the spiritual discipline of silence, and for good reason. Spending time alone with God in silence is vital when it comes to discerning His voice and receiving His guidance (more on this in a later blog post). However, while solitude is usually a necessary component in practicing silence, silence is not always a necessary component in practicing solitude. The main purpose of solitude is to practice stepping away from people and other distractions in order to be more present with God. For some people, this might be best accomplished while listening or singing to their favorite worship song alone. For others, it might be partaking in some kind of outdoor activity that they enjoy doing alone with God, such as going on a hike.
In the Bible, we see that Jesus often practiced the spiritual discipline of solitude with the spiritual discipline of prayer (Luke 5:16, Luke 6:12-13, Mark 1:35). Personally, I love pairing these two disciplines together and have found that just about any form of solitude creates the perfect environment for prayer. When I am alone with God and have my heart and mind already set on connecting with Him, it makes talking to Him a natural, next step.
So how can we practice solitude and prayer as a church body? What if it’s difficult to create time alone? What if prayer is something that simply does not come naturally to you?
Here are some practical ideas and suggestions that I hope will help:
Start with prayer: There is a reason why being “relentless in prayer” is part of our mission statement within the True Hope family of churches (you can read more about this here.) It is our first course of action with everything we say and do. Prayer is powerful because of the great God we are praying to, who actively hears and answers our prayers (1 John 5:14-15). Start praying for God to help you create time for solitude. Ask Him to show you what solitude looks like for you and invite Him to meet you in that space. If prayer is something that you struggle with, start by asking God for help. Pray for Him to help you with prayer, asking for His Spirit to guide you in what to say (Romans 8:26-27).
Length of time does not equal quality of time: For many of us, it can be difficult to set aside time alone because we are under the impression that it has to be a specific amount of time in order to be worthwhile. When it comes to practicing solitude and prayer, recognize that any amount of time spent alone in prayer with God is time well spent. Instead, focus on creating an atmosphere that is free from distraction. Put your phone in a different room, turn off the TV, and if you are around other people, let them know that you are going to step away to have some time alone so that they can be aware of trying to not interrupt you. Then, use whatever amount of time you have, even if it’s just a couple of minutes, to ask God to draw near (James 4:8).
Go to your room and pray: In Matthew 6:6, Jesus says: “But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” While this passage of scripture is referring to religious people who put on display their righteousness before others, often times, I have found that I greatly experience God’s presence when I practice this verse literally. There is something about going to my room (a place I already associate with rest), closing the door (an intentional act to aid with distraction), and kneeling before my Father at my bedside (an act of surrender and worship). He meets me there every single time. If you have never tired this before, I highly encourage you to. I have heard of other people who have a prayer closet, which is also a great way to incorporate this idea.
Journal your prayers: If you find it hard to stay focused when you pray, try journaling them instead. Go into your room alone or perhaps step outside by yourself. Designate a prayer journal and write to God whatever is on your heart. Start with what you’re grateful for and move into your need for the Father in your life and in other people’s lives. If you want to see just how faithful He is, take a highlighter and go back and highlight each time He answers one of your prayers. Over time, you’ll see that you have a beautiful written testimony of God’s goodness actively working in your life.
Read your Bible out loud: God gave us the greatest gift through His word. Not only do we have a way to get to know more about Him and how He wants us to live as His children, but His Spirit also becomes alive and activated in us while we read it (Hebrews 4:12). If you haven’t ever done so, try reading your Bible alone and out loud. His words have the ability to turn into some of our greatest heartfelt prayers. Not sure where to start? Try the book of Psalms. The Psalms offer us a way to pray, worship, and praise God all at once.
Listen to a worship song: Do you have a worship song that immediately makes you feel more connected to, known, and loved by God? If so, put it on and sit alone while listening to it. Sing along if you feel led. You can even consider looking up the lyrics and turning the song into a prayer.
Enjoy your hobby with God: For my husband, it’s going for a run. For my dad, it’s going fly-fishing. Many of us already have hobbies that we enjoy doing by ourselves that make us feel closer to God. God created each of us with different interests, talents, and things that we simply enjoy doing. So whether that’s knitting, walking, or piano playing, I encourage you to use that time in remembrance of the God who gave you that gift. Take the time to thank Him for who He is, for creating you, and for giving you the ability to live life in relationship with Him.
Continue with prayer: One of the greatest shifting points in my relationship with God was realizing that praying to Him didn’t have to be something to get done and checked off at a particular time of day, but rather—that prayer was a state of being that I could continually live in. Since God is always with us and prayer serves as our direct line of communication with Him, take any given moment throughout the day or night that you are alone to talk to Him. Prayer doesn’t have to be formal in order for God to hear us. It also doesn’t require us to get ourselves together emotionally before starting. All it takes is a heart that stops to surrender to God and remember Him. Are you waiting alone in your car in the school pickup line? Sounds like a good time to pray. Are you eating alone in your office on your lunch break? Sounds like a good time to pray. How about having a hard time falling asleep at night? Sounds like a good time to pray. How amazing is it that we serve a God who welcomes our continual prayers? (1 Thessalonians 5:17).
Do you have a way of practicing solitude and prayer that wasn’t listed above? If so, we’d love to hear about it!
*A final note regarding solitude. While practicing moments of solitude plays an important role in growing our spiritual maturity with Christ, it is not how we are designed to live on a regular basis. God created us to live in community with other believers. Read more about this here.