Have you ever stopped to listen and ponder just how noisy our world is? From the time our alarm clocks obnoxiously awaken us, we are inundated with noise. Conversations, vehicle noise, music with volume pumped up over the noise of the car, machines at work, screens everywhere spitting images caked with sounds at our faces. Our world is noisy.
Imagine no cell phones, computers, televisions, vehicles, machines, CD players, tape decks, or 8-tracks. Take all of that noise out of our world and you get closer to the world in which Jesus lived. Pretty quiet, eh? Even though the Son of God lived a world much quieter than our own, he still “often withdrew to lonely places to pray” (Luke 5:16). If Jesus thought he needed to do this, what makes you think you can afford not to?
I don’t think I’m merely reflecting my introverted personality when I say it’s important for you to get alone in a quiet place to pray and reflect on God’s Word. Your soul needs a break from the constant bombardment it takes from a noisy world. It wasn’t made to thrive through relentless stimuli.
I remember distinctly one night some time ago, after our kids were soundly asleep, my wife and I spent 30 minutes individually reading and reflecting on God’s Word. It was sweet. It was refreshing. It was needed. Yes, there were a hundred other things that probably needed our attention: laundry, dirty dishes, something broken I don’t have a clue how to fix, but doing those things would not have refreshed our souls.
So my plea to you is this: fight for solitude! Escape to solitary places where your mind and soul can experience the healing of reflecting on God’s Word in quiet. It’s absolutely necessary if you are going to remain spiritually sane in a noisy world.
