The Search for Solitude

My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.       When can I go and meet with God?(Psalm 42:2)This morning I spoke at a MOPS group about the search for solitude.It’s extremely challenging for moms of young children to find any time alone. In a household with small kids, it’s hard to take a shower or use the bathroom without an interruption! So the thought of regular solitude? Why, that must seem like a pipe dream.So I attempted to offer hope and practical suggestions — I provided ideas for how to creatively snatch five minutes of solitude out of a day as well as how to carve out a chunk of time to be alone.Once a mom finds that time, she can use that solitude any way she would like, of course. She could vacuum. She could read a novel. She could shop.But I was recommending that a mom use that time to build a richer relationship with the Lord. To pray. To open up God’s Word. To write in a journal, pouring out her heart to the Lord.Then late this afternoon, The Belgian Wonder reminded me that he had a dinner to go to after work. This meant I would be on my own to take my kids to AWANA. The AWANA club gives parents time on their own while their kids have fun playing games and learning Bible verses.My first thought upon realizing I would have several hours to myself, ironically, was to call a friend and meet with her during that time.When I phoned and she said she was unavailable, my next thought was…phone another friend.Didn’t I get it?That friend wasn’t available, either.Then finally I realized. Ah! Silly me. I’m being handed solitude on a platter.So I humbly accepted the gift. I dropped off the kids and headed to Panera, where I ordered hot tea and a cherry-topped pastry.I ate the pastry.I drank the tea.I talked with the Lord, thanking Him for a long stretch of time alone with Him…thanking Him for the privilege of speaking this morning…thanking Him for the joy of hosting Thanksgiving next week…asking Him to step into the lives of some friends and protect one who is travelingand speak to another who wants to hear His voiceand encourage another who is sorting through some parenting questions.And then I dropped in here to tell you about it, hoping you, too, will be able to find solitude soon, even if it’s only a morsel of time to begin with. In that morsel of time, I hope you will soak in some silence, cultivate an inner solitude, and wherever you are, meet with God.The psalmist wondered, When can I go and meet with God?Step away from the computer for five minutes. Turn from the screen. Stop skimming this blog.And meet with God.You will gain so much more from Him than you will from my words or anyone else’s if you take that break and begin to enjoy intimacy with Him in solitude as a regular habit.When you return to this post– if you do — and you feel that you need ideas and motivation for finding solitude, check out the following links.This post has some practical ideas.Author Don Whitney posted a lengthy article online entitled Silence and Solitude.Chuck Swindoll has a short article on Solitude: A Vital Factor in Growing Closer to God.