Tuesday, October 10, 2017 Silence and Solitude: The Discipline of Solitude, Part 2 (Inspired by Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster)

Tuesday, October 10, 2017

Silence and Solitude: The Discipline of Solitude, Part 2 (Inspired by Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster)

From Celebration of Discipline:

“One reason we can hardly bear to remain silent is that it makes us feel so helpless. We are so accustomed to relying upon words to manage and control others. If we are silent, who will take control? God will take control, but we will never let him take control until we trust him. Silence is intimately related to trust. (Foster, Richard J.. Celebration of Discipline: The Path To Spiritual Growth (pp. 100-101). HarperCollins. Kindle Edition).”

“Catherine de Haeck Doherty writes, “All in me is silent and… I am immersed in the silence of God.”  It is in solitude that we come to experience the “silence of God” and so receive the inner silence that is the craving of our hearts. (Foster, Richard J.. Celebration of Discipline: The Path To Spiritual Growth (p. 102). HarperCollins. Kindle Edition.)”

Scripture:

Ecclesiastes 3:7b (Parenthesis added)

(There is) A time to keep silence,
    And a time to speak

Ecclesiastes 5:1-2

1 Walk prudently when you go to the house of God; and draw near to hear rather than to give the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they do evil.

² Do not be rash with your mouth,
And let not your heart utter anything hastily before God.
For God is in heaven, and you on earth;
Therefore let your words be few.

James 3:1-12

My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment. ² For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body. ³ Indeed,^[a] we put bits in horses’ mouths that they may obey us, and we turn their whole body. ⁴ Look also at ships: although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires. ⁵ Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things.

See how great a forest a little fire kindles! ⁶ And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell. ⁷ For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and creature of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by mankind. ⁸ But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. ⁹ With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. ¹⁰ Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so. ¹¹ Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening? ¹² Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh.

Proverbs 25:11

 A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold
In settings of silver.

Devotional:

I am sitting here in silence as I prepare to write on today’s excerpt, and I am struck with the need to choose words in a way that will be a serving of apples on silver for you. When I reflect over the years of my relationship with God, it is the days of inner and outer silence spent in true fellowship with God that happen in an organic and non-forced way that represent times of breakthrough, healing, and revelation more than any other. I have experienced intentional retreats of silence and solitude, and in those times I have had fantastic connection with the Creator. One such experience may not evoke the expected view of a traditional “silence” retreat. I was attending a large women’s conference by myself. I had a one year old who struggled to sleep at night and a three year old at the time, and my husband treated me with an overnight hotel stay and day at this conference. In an arena with over five thousand other women, I found myself receiving from God in a place of gentle solitude. I remember sitting in a quiet section of the huge arena, journaling and worshiping God. I spoke to almost nobody that weekend. The place of quiet prepared me for a heart healing and a renewing of the call He has placed on my life. I also found a voice in creating scripture art that opened up a part of my world that I had only considered a simple hobby. The inner and outer silence was so beautiful, and I will always treasure it. Another way God leads me into silence is in times alone in my home when our children are in school, or driving alone in the car on the occasional times I can receive it. At times, I am totally silent, but at times I am receiving the Word like a baby receives milk through podcasts. The goal of silence is to create a space of true listening, and to cultivate the control of our tongues so that we are not controlled by them. God is our advocate and our justifier, and we are able to rest in Him rather than rely on our own words to protect us. Blessed be the Name of the Lord!

Prayer:

Thanksgiving:

Lord, I love You so much. I worship and honor You today. You are my advocate, the Righteous One Who chooses to know all about me yet justifies me by the Blood of the Lamb. I praise You for Your matchless worth and for Your mighty works.

Confession:

God, I confess (area of sin or struggle—particularly in the area of the tongue, if possible. For me today: I recognize that I try to justify myself in times of conflict. Lord, I lay down this desire and give the right to justify to You.)

Supplication:

God, I desire to live a life where my tongue is under Your control. I thank You that as I received Jesus, I have received Your Holy Spirit and have access to the fruit of self-control. I pray that this fruit be manifest more deeply in me today. I also lift up (personal area of need. Mine: I need Your guidance. I often feel inadequate to perform the tasks I feel You have called me to do. Give me confidence and help me to grow in my ability to do well what You have laid on my heart.)

Intercession:

I lift my children to You today. Verbal self-control is such a challenge for children. Help me to model this for them, and show me Your way to lead, train and guide them. Let silence be a place of healing and a discipline they know from a young age. (Journal needs, concerns, sin, victories, and progress. Chloe today: Thank You that she is recovering from this illness. I lift up her mouth to You. Forgive me for trying to control it myself. I give it to You. Please show me what is needed to teach her to flow in Your Spirit in the area of her speech. Christian: God, his speech is such a sadness for me. I pray that You will show me that silence and solitude can be an area of receiving and a strength, though he seems to be bound by it. I also do ask for a miracle releasing him from the prison of silence that he cannot control. Bless my children, Lord.)

Thanksgiving and Consecration:

Father, You are the Holy God Who causes these things to pass. I lift You up and magnify You above all circumstances. Bless this time and multiply it in our home. In Jesus’ Name I pray, amen.