“Be still and know that I am God;” Psalm 46:10

I heard a great message on solitude today and it really resonated with me. I used to think solitude was just for me and my own relaxation. How wrong I was. I’m coming up on the one-year anniversary of one of the most amazing periods of solitude I’ve ever experienced, and the message I heard today sparked thoughts of that time.

I was able to get a way and spend a weekend at the beach. It was during a particularly stressful period and I don’t think even I realized how much I needed it. Thankfully, God knew. He knew where and how to lead me so that I was completely focused on Him. It was the most powerful connection I have ever had and one that I long to recapture often. I sat amid gentle surf, sugar-soft white sand, swaying palm trees and chirping birds and just tuned in. The peacefulness of that time makes me smile. And as I sat there in sheer awe, He spoke into my soul and gave me the clearest direction I have ever had. I have been filled with joy and purpose ever since.

Funny, if that experience didn’t sell me on making time for solitude, I don’t know what would! Solitude. Just saying it brings me back to that place of peace. As my story portrays, I find peace when I am at the beach. The challenge, of course, is that I cannot be at the beach every time I need that connection. Finding the moments and mental ability to seek out other places of solitude are vital.

Vital but hard. Those daily demands have a tendency to creep into my thoughts, even when I am trying to be quiet. And to be completely honest, some days I just don’t know how or when I can slip away, even if it’s just mentally, to be still. Slipping way, relaxing and just “being still” are so much easier on vacation, I will admit.

The hardest thing is tuning out from the things of this world and tuning in to the quiet and peace of God. It sounds crazy when I think about it that way. That the “noise” of this world, the demands, stressors, priorities, to-do’s, concerns, etc. would be easier to stay focused on than stepping aside and finding peace and contentment through time with our Savior. That’s the trap I know I fall into, which just gives the enemy that much more to work with.

I challenge myself, and anyone who reads this, to make that commitment and effort to spend time in solitude with the Lord. I think we will be amazed at what will happen if we do it. Are you with me?