Ancient Wisdom – © 1981
by Debbie Poer
Is there anyone out there who loves bookstores and libraries as much as I do? I love spending time in both places, exploring titles, buying, and borrowing, ultimately knowing I will have great encounters and adventures based on the books I read.
Recently when in a bookstore the back cover of a book by Henri J.M. Nouwen caught my attention. It read, “Ancient spiritual wisdom to heal our troubled modern souls.” Wow! Is that not something we need for the period in which we live! Although it was copyrighted in 1981, The Way of the Heart continues to be a timely read as it provides a refreshing reminder of meeting God through solitude, silence, and prayer.
Mr. Nouwen describes solitude as the period of time in which we remove ourselves from normal life. From solitude we move into silence when we listen to God rather than the world. The final piece is our life becoming one of unceasing prayer. While none of these ideas are new, we are challenged to revive these practices in our lives. Here are a few thoughts that came to me as I considered the three items:
Solitude – It is not often that we have the luxury of going off for even a day of solitude. In its place, our solitude can be periods throughout the day, beginning with morning devotion time. Instead of jumping right into our devotion time we can become more intentional about having a time of solitude. It might be a walk alone or simply sitting alone in the room where we normally have our devotions with television off, music off, phones and other electronics out of the room.
Silence – I immediately think of Psalm 46:10, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” Be still and listen – no words are needed, spoken nor unspoken.
Prayer – As we practice solitude and silence, we can expect to hear God speak into our lives – will he be asking us questions, requiring our response or will he be giving us instructions for our lives?
Reviving the practices of solitude, silence, and prayer may take intentionality, but won’t it be worth it? The resulting adventure will allow space for God to continue to remind us when we stray from those pieces of wisdom. What better way to be equipped to stand firm in this modern world, so that we can proclaim Jesus to those we meet.
