In one of my devotions this week I read this line: “Through silence, solitude and stillness, the sediment of life is settling down, and things are getting clearer.” (Peter Greig, Lectio 365, June 20 morning). Add to this that the practices of silence and solitude were encouraged in this past week’s study of Live No Lies (You are still all welcome to join us this Wednesday at Smiley’s!) and God has my attention!

It was like God was driving home the point – you need, silence, solitude and stillness to gain clarity on who I am, who you are and what you are called to do. All this is the carrot. There is a reward to being still, and that is we know He is God (Psalm 46:10).

But there is a stick, too. There are consequences to not spending time in silence and solitude. Isaiah 57:20 tells us “the wicked are like the tossing sea, which cannot rest, whose waves cast up mire and mud.” Now maybe we don’t think of ourselves as wicked, but lots of us feel like we cannot rest even though all we do is cast up mire and mud.

So, friends, I want to urge you to take time to practice solitude and silence so you will know God more.