When was the last time you were in a place where you were completely still and silent? When was the last time you actually had the time to be still and silent.

You and I live in a media-drenched culture that assaults us at every turn with noise of every kind. The last thing you’ll hear in any ad is a pitch to go somewhere and just sit there and be quiet.

The PTBs (Powers That Be) will tell you to go buy more, do more, exercise more, drink more, have sex more, spend more, travel more . . . anything and everything but sitting in silence. Egads. How will that help boost the economy?

Jesus took time to withdraw to quiet places. If He thought it was important, I think you and I should, too. He left the multitudes and went away for solitude. That flies in the face of everything that any success guru would ever tell you, but Jesus did it anyway. Maybe He knew something we don’t

Sidenote: you will never ever have time for anything unless you make time. And you will absolutely make time for those things (and people) that are truly important to you. End of story.

We weren’t made to endure noise 24/7. We need quiet. We need solitude and silence, if only to create space into which God can speak.

I need to do better at being silent and still. For those in our studio audience who are me and have a hard time being still, it’s something you have to train yourself to do. Like playing a piano or riding a bike, you have to practice solitude.

If you want to know all about solitude as a Christian discipline, read the fantastic book, Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster. Or just about anything by Henri Nouwen or Brennan Manning.

Here endeth the lesson.