Habits of Grace, Part 4

In a world full of noise, hurry, and constant distraction, how do we make space for God to restore our souls? Discover why silence and solitude are not just “alone time,” but sacred rhythms that give God our full attention and renew us from the inside out. Whether you’re overwhelmed by busyness, weighed down by noise, or simply longing for deeper intimacy with God, this message will help you take practical steps toward finding rest and renewal in His presence.

Savior Of The World
Mack Brock

I Thank God
Maverick City Music

Slower I Go
SEU Worship

Mark 8:36-37
‘What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?

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Why do we often neglect or treat our souls with far less importance or urgency than everything else in our lives?

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John 10:10
“I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full”

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Matthew 11:30
“My yoke is easy, my burden is light”

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John 7:38
“Out of you will flow rivers of living water”

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Henri Nouwen
“Without solitude, it is virtually impossible to live a spiritual life… We do not take the spiritual life seriously if we do not set aside some time to be with God and listen to him.”

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Silence and solitude is setting aside space and time to be with God in the quiet’

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Luke 2:40
“And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him.

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Luke 2:52
…And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.”

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Luke 4:1-2
Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry.

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Eremos
Desert, desolate, or solitary place.

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Luke 4:42
At daybreak, Jesus went out to a solitary place.

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Luke 5:16
But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.

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Luke 6:12
Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God.

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Luke 22:41
He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, ‘Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.’

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Luke 4:42 – After ministry, Jesus withdraws.
Luke 5:16 – As crowds grow, He often withdraws.
Luke 6:12 – Before a huge decision, He spends all night in prayer.
Luke 22:41 – In His final night, before the torture both before and during His crucifixion, He withdraws to pray.

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Noise feels safer.

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We equate busyness with importance.

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We equate doing with the condition of our soul.

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Henri Nouwen
…In solitude, I get rid of my scaffolding: no friends to talk with, no telephone calls to make, no meetings to attend, no music to entertain, no books to distract, just me – naked, vulnerable, weak, sinful, deprived, broken – Nothing. It is this nothingness that I have to face in my solitude, and nothing is so dreadful that everything in me wants to run to my friends, my work, my distractions, so that I can forget my nothingness, and make myself believe that I am worth something… The task is to persevere in my solitude, to stay in my cell until all my seductive visitors get tired of pounding on my door, and leave me alone… The struggle is real because the danger is real. It is the danger of living the whole of our life as one long defense against the reality of our condition.

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Pick a place.

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Pick a time.

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Pick a rhythm and a focus.

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