Blog: Solitude and Prayer

“Prayer in the sense of petition, asking for things, is a small part of it; confession and penitence are its threshold, adoration its sanctuary, the presence and vision and enjoyment of God its bread and wine.” – C. S. Lewis, The World’s Last Night and Other Essays, “The Efficacy of Prayer”

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“But Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray.” (Luke 5:16, NASB)

“Somewhere we know that without a lonely place our lives are in danger. Somewhere we know that without silence words lose their meaning, that without listening speaking no longer heals, that without distance closeness cannot cure. Somewhere we know that without a lonely place our actions quickly become empty gestures. The careful balance between silence and words, withdrawal and involvement, distance and closeness, solitude and community forms the basis of the Christian life and should therefore be the subject of our most personal attention.” – Henry Nouwen, Out of Solitude




“For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel,
‘In returning and rest you shall be saved;
    in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.’” (Isaiah 30:15, ESV)

-- A. Jordan