Isolation or Solitude 

Surviving COVID-19 amid the demanding diversions of distractions

The Gospel is not about man searching for GOD,

But GOD reaching out to mankind!

One lesson we have learned from COVID 19 is how the demanding diversions of distractions previously filled our lives. We allowed ourselves to be consumed with social media, television, and internet surfing in the vain hope to avoid boredom. Often our diversions are rooted in the fear of solitude. By avoiding solitude we fool ourselves in the false hope of happiness. However, we are missing out on opportunities for deeper communion with GOD. Solitude is a trusted friend beckoning us to consciously pull away from everything else in our lives, including the company of other people, for the purpose of giving our Full, and Undivided attention to GOD.

When you think of prayer warriors in the Bible whose name comes to mind? Most Christians call the names of Moses, Elijah, David, and the Apostle Paul.  Few call the name of JESUS as a prayer warrior. The Gospels frequently mention how JESUS “went off to a solitary place, where he prayed” (Mark 1:35). In Luke 6:12 JESUS “went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to GOD.”

Throughout his life, Moses would often withdraw from the crowd to be alone with GOD, often for extended periods of time seeking strength, peace, and quality time. In Deuteronomy 9:18, Moses reminds the Children of Israel how practicing solitude and fasting “before the LORD for forty days and forty nights” on their behalf provided strength and guidance. Such passages can make us uncomfortable, and despairing of our own lack of discipline: Consider how Moses could spend 40 days in solitude, and often we struggle to spend 40 minutes alone with GOD! But there is a secrete place full of GRACE always to be found; and with effort and commitment, we will discover True JOY in the in the GRACE of solitude.

Silence is not uncertainty compassed in Solitude.                   Rather Solitude united with silence will always reveal answers

False Impression about Solitude

Silence and solitude are complementary disciplines supporting communion with GOD. While silence almost always requires solitude, solitude does not necessarily require silence. We can apply our time of solitude for prayer, verbal meditation on Scripture, singing psalms or hymns of praise, and testimony to GOD recalling HIS faithfulness. Solitude doesn’t require either silence or a hushed solemnity.

It is Time to Commit Ourselves to become More Intentional

To Spend Time with GOD

Our lives tend to be filled with people and events, making it unlikely we withdraw into solitude.

1. Solitude requires planning

Being alone with GOD requires planning. Choose a place where you can be intimate with GOD and free from distractions. This “prayer closet” doesn’t need to be special, it just needs to be a place where you can remove yourself from the world for as much time as needed.

2. Solitude requires time

On most days the best we can do is to just get away alone for a few minutes, or even an hour. We should cherish these times, and guard them carefully. Yet while these solitary moments are necessary, they’re hardly sufficient to meet our need for closeness with our LORD. Commit to finding creative ways to be alone with GOD for extended periods of solitude, ranging from a few hours to a few days.

3. Solitude requires commitment

Consider how our very lives are the result of previous commitments. Yes, we awoke this morning as a result of what we spent yesterday accomplishing:

Ø  If you are a good parent, it is because you committed time to Family.

Ø  If you are a good physician, it is because you committed time to study medicine.

Ø  In order to be successful, you must commit time to accomplish your goal. 

1. Solitude amplifies other obligations

We can carry out almost every other obligation in the company of others. We can work, pray, reflect and worship almost anytime and in any place. Fulfilling each obligation in the context of solitude enables us to achieve greater focus equipping and enhancing our efforts.

2. Solitude is not about being alone

Typically when we use the term solitude, we are referring to the state of being alone. But solitude also has the meaning of “absence of human activity.” The purpose is not to be alone, but to experience the absence of human activity in exhortation and praise enhancing our experience in the presence of GOD our Loving Father.

3. Solitude reveals hidden idols

While we might tell ourselves we prefer GOD’s company to any person or thing in the world. Solitude is the Christian’s litmus test. By being alone with GOD we obtain a clearer view of the idols consoled in our hearts, and we are presented with an opportunity to repent and relinquish everything we falsely placed before GOD.

Let’s take a closer look at those Bible Prayer Warriors:

Moses:There is no patriarch in the Bible who communicated with GOD so directly either in the middle of the desert, or the burning bush or in the mountain top it was direct communication with the LORD in Solitude.

Elijah: Elijah prays and it does not rain for three one half years, then he prays and the rain returns (Deuteronomy 11:16-17). Elijah prayed and God raises the widow’s son from the dead. Elijah prays and wins the showdown against the prophets of Baal at Mount Carmel; he called down fire from heaven; and GOD struck down 450 false prophets.

David:We have seen David’s boldness as he fought Goliath, but David was not fearless. There are many instances in the Psalms where David admits his fears.David’s fame would project him above other men. Yet, his spirit was uncomplicated toward the LORD. David was unassuming holding the shepherd’s staff, the warrior’s sword, the poet’s harp, and the ruler’s scepter completely transparent before the LORD.

Apostle Paul: It is important to know what Paul prayed, as to how frequently and earnestly he did so. Intercession is spiritual work. Our confidence in it will depend much on our knowledge we ask according to the will of GOD.Consider two prayers in Ephesians, the one for light (Ephesians 1:18), the other for strength (Ephesians 1:19). Paul prays for the Spirit of wisdom to enlighten them to know what their calling was, what their inheritance is, and what the mighty power of GOD was accomplishing in them. Spiritual enlightenment and knowledge was their great need, to be obtained for them by prayer.

Maybe, just maybe GOD intended the blessing of solitude to be a refuge where we truly gain strength for the road ahead. The solitude of a wilderness provided Moses' strength to lead the children of Israel. The solitude of peace allowed Elijah the strength to fight 450 profits of Baal. The solitude of time alone provided quality time for David to write the Psalms providing strength David, for you, for me, and those who come after us. The solitude of a prison would provide the Apostle Paul quality time to write thirteen of the twenty seven books of the New Testaments providing light, and strength for the Body of Christ.  

What will GOD do in your Life in times of solitude?

v  Joseph waited for 13 years v  David waited for 15 years v  Abraham waited 25 years v  Apostle Paul waited 30 years v  Moses waited for 40 years If GOD has said wait, accept HIS GRACE you are in good company! The ole Christian song Does Jesus Care says it best: Does Jesus care when my heart is pained Too deeply for mirth and song As the burdens press and the cares distress And the way grows weary and long Oh, yes He cares