All to Him I Owe

Throughout the pages of Scripture, men of God were driven into times of prolonged solitude with God. The solitude came in places like an ark, a prison cell, the backside of a desert, a pasture, and the belly of a fish. God drove some of these men to these quiet places, while others just stepped into them through obedience.

We need quiet solitary places! This world can be a noisy place filled with the sounds of a fallen world and all of its temptations. Our souls are often noisy places as the worries, stress, and tensions mount and fill our lives. The noise fills our lives and makes the simple disciplines of the spiritual life like prayer, Bible reading, and Scripture meditation extremely difficult.

I wish that I desired the quiet places with God more than I do. The truth of the matter is that God often drives me kicking and screaming to the quiet places. It scares me that I get uncomfortable when it seems too quiet. I feel at times like an addict attempting to detox from noise while I fidget, wiggle, and wrestle with thoughts while God imposes quiet on my life. It amazes me that setting aside thirty minutes to an hour of quiet time with God can be such a battle. We bow our heads to pray and suddenly become ADD in our thoughts as we wrestle to articulate clear requests and praise to God.

My guess is that we are all very much alike. We are battling to have quiet time, while often battling with God, because He is driving us into the quiet place. Often, He is doing so through difficult circumstances and adversity. You might be facing some of these things today and wrestling with the idea that you are in a place where you have no one else but God and a lot of quiet. Think about this for a moment: if we are battling to have quiet time and God chooses to bring events into our lives that drive us into the quiet place, isn’t that a blessing?

I want to encourage you today to thank God for driving you into the quiet places. Take advantage of those places and “taste and see that the Lord is good.” Don’t hurry away from those times and places when it is just you and God. Relish those times and make the most of them. It is the goodness of God that He provides them for you.

I leave you with this encouraging poem below.

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I needed the quiet so He drew me aside.
Into the shadows where we could confide.
Away from the bustle where all the day long
I hurried and worried when active and strong.

I needed the quiet tho at first I rebelled
But gently, so gently, my cross He upheld
And whispered so sweetly of spiritual things.
Tho weakened in body, my spirit took wings
To heights never dreamed of when active all day.
He loved me so greatly He drew me away.

I needed the quiet. No prison my bed,
But a beautiful valley of blessings instead.
A place to grow richer in Jesus to hide.
I needed the quiet so He drew me aside.

Alice Hansche Mortenson