January 19/20 DISCIPLINE OF SOLITUDE

This week we are continuing to look at a number of Spiritual Disciplines as we focus this year on growing our relationship with Jesus. Richard Foster has written an important book on spiritual disciplines Celebration of Discipline: the Path to Spiritual Growth, which will be a main reference through this series. The spiritual disciplines are spiritual practices the Church has developed over the centuries to help us develop our relationship with Jesus, to grow stronger in our faith and to intertwine what we believe with how we live. This week we continue our exploration of the spiritual disciples by reflecting on Matthew 4:1-11 the Discipline of Solitude by looking at the story of Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness after spending 40 days and nights fasting alone in the wilderness. God meets us in places like the wilderness, times of solitude. Solitude gives us the space to listen more closely to God, to reflect on who we are and the lives we are living. Solitude helps us to prepare ourselves to be obedient to God when the times of stress and temptation come by allowing us to spend time immersed in Scripture. This helps us keep our focus on God and Jesus’ call on our life and identity.