C.S. Lewis, in a world seventy years removed from our frantic, non-stop pace, wrote, “We live, in fact, in an age starved for solitude.”
Winston Churchill, Warren Buffett, Bill Gates, George Washington, Ulysses S. Grant and Dwight Eisenhower are among the leaders who learned the inestimable value of quiet solitude when considering monumental decisions. As pastors, we have the personal presence of Christ when we enter the “closet” to pray. We can synthesize a situation or setting, being guided by His Holy Spirit, and gain insights or a broader vision that results in “clear-eyed, inspired conviction,” which is the foundation of leadership.[i]
The Scriptures rehearse decidedly the need for this reflective, alone time with God.
“In returning and rest you shall be saved; In quietness and confidence shall be your strength.” But you would not… Isaiah 30:15 NKJV
It is good that one should hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. Lamentations 3:26
Pastor, with so much at stake, with eternal issues swirling around us as we labor, let’s take the time and space we need to be alone with the Father for extended periods of time and learn to rest our souls so we can have the spiritual energy needed to be ministers of the Gospel. After all, “What is a man profited if he (is connected with) the whole world, yet loses his soul?”
[i] Kethledge, Raymond M. and Erwin, Michael S. Lead Yourself First: Inspiring Leadership Through Solitude, Bloomsbury Press.
Lynn Hardaway