The Importance Of Silence And Solitude For The Christian Mama

Jesus embraced silence and solitude in His everyday rhythms. He retired to desolate places to be alone with the Father.

So, if the saviour of the world spent time alone with God in silence, it only follows that as mamas we need to, as well.

Granted – it’s hard. What with small children, homemaking duties, and many other responsibilities. Yet, this is so important that Jesus not only exemplified it, but talked about it too. (Matthew 6:6)

The question, perhaps then, is why time alone with God? Can’t we just read and pray with our kids around? Or in a small group? So…

Why we need time alone with God

We need to develop intimacy with God. Photo credit: Olivia Snow on Unsplash

Relationships develop and thrive in community, but they also require one-on-one time to develop at an intimate personal level.

If my husband and I never spent time on our own, our marriage would soon break down. If my family and I never had moments together as a family unit, we’d never develop our family team vision, identity, and relationship.

It’s the same with us and God. We need time alone with God to develop intimacy. We come to Him with our deepest prayers, needs, emotions, and pain, and God comes to us with His beautiful word, peace, and presence.

The truth is, we’re seldom as transparent with anyone as we are with God (although we certainly need to walk towards that in our marriages).

It’s to Him we bring all our doubts, fears, requests. And it’s in that solitary place that God meets us right where we are.

Then when we turn to God in prayer, and spend time with Him in the eremos (Greek for solitary place) we begin to know God better. To worship Him. To hear His voice and experience His beautiful peace beyond understanding.

It’s when we spend time with God, that we learn to slow down and redirect our lives to what really matters.

So next, let’s look at when to spend time alone with God.

Ideas for when to spend time alone with God

Early morning is a great time for some mamas. Photo credit: Luke Ellis Craven on Unsplash

The best time of day to have alone time with God, depends on each person’s circumstances. Here are some general ideas:

• Early in the morning before the kids get up (this is when I do it!) – if you have early risers, teach your children (if they’re old enough) to look at books or play quietly in their rooms before X time
• During naptime – when my children were younger, this is when I spent time alone with God
• Late at night – when the kids have gone to bed
• Out of the house – if your husband works from home, it might be possible for you to get out to a coffee shop or for a walk in nature

The important thing is that you find a rhythm and routine that works for you. Next, let’s look at guidelines on how to spend alone time with God.

Guidelines for how to spend time alone with God

Spend time alone with God in nature! Photo credit: Jasmin Ne on Unsplash.

There are several possibilities, in terms of when to spend time with God, but I’d like to give you three general guidelines for how we can spend time alone with God.

1. In silence – turn off your phone (or go out without it, if possible) and tune into God without any external noise. Come to Him only with prayers and your Bible.
2. In nature – go for a prayer walk on your own! Enjoy God’s nature and turn to Him in praise!
3. In solitude – as mentioned before, it’s important to be somewhere away from distractions and crowds. Go into your room and close the door behind you, or retire to a quiet park.

Conclusion

Jesus exemplified silence and solitude as core practices for those who follow Him. He also spoke about the importance of praying in quiet places. As Christian mamas, we need to be intentional about spending time alone with God, in order to develop intimacy with Him.

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