Luke 1:80
He lived away from the people; in the separation he learned to hear the voice of God and become strong in spirit.
To grow in the spirit we need a place of solitude to have the freedom, the space, to listen and hear—a place where everyday distractions are minimal.
To learn the "sound" of the Spirit, we need time to discern the still quiet voice that whispers to us in the silence. That is how the prophet heard.
“The Lord said, 'Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.’
Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind.
After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.”
We are familiar with powerful winds, (noise, confusion) the earthquakes, (chaos, fears) and fires, (discomfort). We have tuned, adjusted our ears to noise and we learned to ignore or even shut out the quiet.
“Then a voice said to him, ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’” 1 Kings 19:11-13
We live in a world where we cannot seem to live without distracting sounds; silence has become uncomfortable.
But we need silence to hear His whisper.
We need the quiet voice to instruct us and warn us.
Steeped in religion, John’s parents taught him well. He knew his calling for great things, but he needed to hear from God.
In the wilderness he learned to hear and trust.
There he learned what no man could teach him: to live in the presence of God.
The quiet, silent place renews our spirit as it comes into communion in prayer with the one who speaks life into every part of our being.
“But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” Luke 5:16
We need a quiet place. A place to listen and hear.