Is Solitude Really that Important?
SPIRITUAL MINISTRY
Seeking God in times of solitude is one of the most important aspects of growth and fruitfulness in the life of a Christian. It is therefore alarming that solitude is one of the most neglected spiritual disciplines. The negative ramifications for the health and vitality of Christ’s church cannot be overstated.
“Can you name even one of these prophets who knows the Lord well enough to hear what he is saying? Has even one of them cared enough to listen?" -- Jeremiah 23:18
“Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.” -- John 15:5
At the start of his ministry Jesus was compelled by the Spirit to spend forty days in solitude. Before he chose the twelve disciples he spent all night alone in the desert. After a long night of exhausting ministry he arose before sunrise and went out to a lonely place. It was His regular practice to spend extended times alone with the Father. Jesus’ example teaches us that time alone with God is the first priority in ministry.
“Solitude is where spiritual ministry begins. That’s where Jesus listened to God. That’s where we listen to God.” -- Henri Nouwen
LIFE TRANSFORMATION
“Solitude is the furnace of transformation. Without solitude we remain victims of our society and continue to be entangled in the illusions of the false self. Jesus himself entered into this furnace. It is where he affirmed God as the only source of his identity.” -- Henri Nouwen
To varying degrees Christians have indeed been seduced by their culture. All too often, Christians do what people in the world do in order to be liked, praised, and admired. Solitude is where we deeply encounter Christ so that He becomes the substance of our new identity. As a result the compulsion to prove we are ‘important’ loses its grip on us. Leaders that are free from the compulsions of the world are true Kingdom leaders.
“Solitude frees us. This above all explains its primacy and priority among the spiritual disciplines. The normal course of day-to-day human interactions locks us into patterns of feeling, thought, and action that are geared to a world set against God. Our conformity to social pattern is much more than we’d care to admit or believe. To get out of human contact is not something that can be done in a short while, for the contact lingers long after it is, in one sense, over.” -- Dallas Williard
Past WilderneSS participants agree with Williard that it takes extended time alone to be free of the lingering effects of human interaction. They strongly affirm that the voice of the Lord becomes clearer and more compelling in such a setting. It's imperative that we set apart adequate time for solitude if we hope to overcome our cultural conformity, our false sense of identity, and our dependency upon the things of this world.
“Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is.” -- Romans 12:2
HEROIC LEADERSHIP
Conflict and loneliness are two of the leading causes of pastors and ministry professionals leaving ministry. One of the first steps in God’s discipleship program for biblical leaders is calling them out to a lonely place. Abraham, Moses, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Paul, Jesus – they all endured this isolation training. They learned that no matter how isolated or abandoned they felt God was always with them. This gave them the ability to stay true to the vision that God imparted to them in spite of tremendous criticism and hardship. Leaders who have learned that they are never alone model a contagious faith to the people they lead. Leaders that are able to withstand absolute separation from the world are heroic leaders who live for God alone.
“When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.” -- Acts 4:13
“The first time I was brought before the judge, no one was with me. Everyone had abandoned me. I hope it will not be counted against them. But the Lord stood with me and gave me strength…” -- 2Timothy 4:16-17
DEVELOPING LEADERS THROUGH ISOLATING SOLITUDE
WilderneSS is helping young leaders learn first hand how powerful and life changing it can be to meet with God in solitude. WilderneSS is also helping older more seasoned spiritual leaders experience significant breakthroughs in their relationship with God as well as in their own personal life transformation. One of the reasons WilderneSS is having such a powerful affect is that few participants, young or old, have experienced the type of solitude that WilderneSS sets up for them.
“Solitude is a terrible trial, for it serves to crack open and burst apart the shell of our superficial securities.” -- Louis Bouyer
In our time and in our culture very few voluntarily choose to enter solitude of sufficient form and length so that it serves as a trial in their life. But it is precisely this type of solitude that propels us into the healing and empowering presence of the Lord.
"Who sets up their own trial? I’m glad you did (for us).” -- Wayne Wager, 2004 WilderneSS Participant
This ministry makes available to leaders and emerging leaders an all-encompassing solitude that brings them face to face with the living Christ.
“Don’t you feel a tug, a yearning to sink down into the silence and solitude of God? Don’t you long for something more? Doesn’t every breath crave a deeper, fuller exposure to his Presence? It is the discipline of solitude that will open the door.” -- Richard Foster
Through WilderneSS many will experience the revolutionary affect solitude can have on their lives. Through their initial experience with this ministry, and the continued practice of withdrawing from the world in order to dwell in the healing and transforming presence of the Lord, they will be deeply spiritual leaders who powerfully bring Christ to the people they lead and to a lost world. WilderneSS is in a unique position to affect countless lives for Christ extending well beyond the participants themselves to all those that they lead and influence.
Vision & Mission
WilderneSS: A Refining Solitude
Crisis in Leadership
