Habits of Jesus | Silence and solitude
Series: Simple. Quiet. Present. | Bible text: 1 Kings 19:1–13
The sermon invites us to discover silence and solitude not as a duty, but as a gift from God. The examples of Jesus, Elijah and the persecuted Christian Amin make it clear that it is precisely in retreat and in silence that we often encounter God’s presence in a particularly profound way. In a noisy and hectic world, silence creates space to be healed, to hear God’s voice and to receive new strength for everyday life.
Amin recently gave a talk about his experiences as a persecuted Christian in Iran. He was asked: «How did you experience Jesus? What was good for you in the persecution? What did you learn? What did you receive from Jesus?» His literal answer: «Something that is very special in prison is the presence of Jesus, because they cannot take Jesus prisoner. In Switzerland, we have a lot of freedom. We can enjoy a lot of things. We also distract ourselves a lot. In prison you really have time to spend 24 hours just with Jesus. I have never experienced such a relationship and presence of Jesus as I have in prison. Especially when I was in the isolation cell, all alone. That was my best and closest time with Jesus that I’ve ever had.»
These words are touching. Because they reveal something surprising: Precisely where everything was outwardly taken away, there was room for a deep encounter with Jesus. It was not freedom, activity and opportunities that led Amin to the neighbourhood of God – but solitude and silence.
Today we are talking about the spiritual habit of Jesus: Silence and loneliness. Through spiritual habits, we create time and space to encounter God Himself in depth. A spiritual habit is any activity that I can do through direct effort that eventually enables me to do what I cannot do through direct effort.
It is not about religious performance. Not about duty. Not about impressing God. But rather an invitation. An invitation to discover a rhythm of life in which our soul can breathe again and God’s voice can be heard.
The role model
When Jesus rises from the water at his baptism, a voice is heard from heaven saying: «This is my beloved son, in him I have great joy» (Matthew 3:17 NLB). At the same time, this is the launch pad from which Jesus is sent out into the world. But in the very next line we read that Jesus is led by the Holy Spirit into the desert for 40 days.
The first thing Jesus does after his baptism is: he goes straight into the desert. Desert does not necessarily mean sand and heat. The Greek word eremos has a variety of meanings: Desert, desolate place, desolate place, remote place, lonely place, quiet place, wilderness, wasteland.
It is interesting to note that the desert in the Bible is not simply a place of weakness. It is often a place of encounter. A place of clarification. A place where background noise is silenced and God’s voice becomes audible.
Mark 1 basically describes Jesus» first big day of work as the Messiah. It was a marathon day: he teaches in the synagogue, heals Peter’s mother-in-law and then countless sick and possessed people are brought to him. People flock to him. Expectations press in on him. Everyone wants something from him. Jesus must have been completely exhausted.
But then we read: «Very early, it was still night, Jesus went alone to a lonely place («eremos») to pray» (Mark 1:35 NLB).
Jesus withdraws. Not because he doesn’t love people. Not because he is irresponsible. But precisely because he knows that his soul needs this closeness to the Father. And that was not a one-off exception. Luke writes: «However, Jesus repeatedly withdrew into the desert («eremos») to pray» (Luke 5:16 NLB). It was a rhythm of life.
Perhaps we sometimes think: When I have more time, when things are calmer, when the children are older, when the stress subsides – then I will make time for God. But with Jesus we see the opposite. In the midst of ministry, in the midst of demands, in the midst of pressure, he seeks out solitude.
Jesus did not command us to follow his own practices. He simply set an example of a completely new way of living his life. Then He turned round and said: «If your way of life makes you tired and if you want to find rest for your soul, come, take my gentle yoke and copy my life in all its details» (according to Matthew 11:28–30).
Loneliness and silence
Loneliness means first of all: being alone. Alone with God and with your own soul. Many people fear exactly that. Because as soon as it gets quiet, thoughts, feelings, worries and inner restlessness arise. That’s why we distract ourselves so often. Music is always playing. The mobile phone is always at hand. Even short waiting times are filled immediately.
Amin was forced into isolation – and it was there that he experienced the presence of Jesus more deeply than ever before. Elijah also experiences loneliness. However, it begins quite differently. The prophet Elijah – a hero of faith – experiences a deep collapse after a great victory. He had just experienced God’s power on Mount Carmel. And shortly afterwards, exhausted, he flees into the desert.
«But he walked a day’s journey alone into the desert. Finally, he sank down under a broom bush that was standing there and just wanted to die. «I’ve had enough, Lord,» he said. «Take my life, for I am no better than my ancestors» » (1 Kings 19:4 NLB).
Perhaps you know moments like this too. You withdraw, not because you are particularly spiritual, but because you simply can’t take any more. Tired. Empty. Overwhelmed.
And this is exactly where something important begins: God does not meet Elijah with reproaches. He does not say: «Pull yourself together.» He does not say: «You would have to believe more.» God meets him with care. Elijah is asleep. An angel wakes him up and gives him food and drink. Then he is allowed to sleep again. He is woken once more. Once again he is strengthened.
That is remarkable. The first step out of the crisis is not a spiritual flight of fancy, but rest, food, sleep and loving care. God meets us holistically.
That is why silence is not just a technique. It is not simply a spiritual tool for self-optimisation. Silence often begins when we slow down. Where we admit to ourselves that we don’t have to carry everything. Where we stop allowing ourselves to be constantly driven.
St Augustine said: «Entering into silence means entering into joy.» And a Syrian monk from the sixth century said: «The friend of silence draws closer to God.» Our world, on the other hand, is loud. In his satirical work Instructions to a Devil, C.S. Lewis has the demons rail against silence. The chief devil Screwtape calls the enemy’s realm a «kingdom of noise» and says: «In the end, we will turn the whole world into a single noise.»
Perhaps that is exactly what we are experiencing. Not only externally, but also internally. Thoughts are circling. Worries weigh us down. Impressions flood us. This is exactly what Elijah experiences. Outwardly it is quiet in the desert, but inwardly a storm is probably raging.
But God leads him on. For forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mountain of God. God does not work under time pressure. He leads step by step.
In the last few weeks, I have often spent hours walking through Aargau in preparation for the Rigimarsch. Some people asked if I had so much time. For me, these were times of encounter with God and I ask myself whether I can even afford not to take this time. Perhaps that is precisely the crucial question. Not: Do I have time for silence? But rather: Can I afford to live without it?
Because if we never become still, we often lose something essential: the perception of God’s presence.
Isn’t one of the big problems of spirituality in our time the fact that we feel separated from God? We rarely experience God’s presence in everyday life. Solitude and silence are the recipe against this.
And sometimes it starts very practically: a walk without a mobile phone. A morning without instant messages. A conscious silence. A few minutes in which we are simply there before God. Not as a compulsory exercise. But as a gift.
Hearing God’s voice
Then comes the decisive moment for Elijah. A storm comes – but God is not in the storm. An earthquake – but God is not in the earthquake. A fire – but God is not in the fire. And then: a quiet, gentle whisper. And there is God.
That is perhaps the most important point of this story: God is often not in the loud, not in the spectacular, not in the dramatic – but in the quiet.
We live in a world that constantly wants to attract attention. Everything has to be fast, impressive and intense. But God does not impose himself. He does not shout. He doesn’t drown out everything else. He speaks quietly.
That is why we need silence. Not because silence is sacred in itself, but because it becomes the space in which we can hear God’s voice again. The Hebrew word for desert – midbar – is closely connected with dabarthe word.
Perhaps God speaks much more often than we think. But we don’t hear him because so many other things have become louder. And that is why silence is ultimately not a retreat from life, but a return to the essentials.
Elijah covers his face. He recognises: God is there. Not in the storm. Not in the fire. But in the quiet presence.
In my opinion, we have two options:
- Option A: We neglect this practice, fall into the hamster wheel and end up at best in emotional imbalance and at worst in «spiritual insensitivity».
- Or option B: We take up this ancient and yet so current practice again and experience the life of Jesus.
Mindfulness – the whole world is talking about it at the moment. Mindfulness is nothing other than the secular term for silence and solitude. It’s the same thing, but without the best part – Jesus.
This story invites us to rediscover silence – not as a duty, but as a gift.
- A silence in which we can be honest
- A silence in which God heals and strengthens us
- A silence in which we hear his voice
Perhaps the next spiritual step in your life is not more activity, but less. Not more words, but more listening. Not more doing, but more being. And perhaps Jesus is already waiting for you right there – in the silence.
Possible questions for the small group
Read the Bible text: 1 Kings 19:1–13
- When do you experience the most noise and distraction in your everyday life – externally or internally?
- What experiences have you already had with times of silence or solitude with God?
- What could specifically help you to regularly create space for silence with God in your everyday life?
- Why do we often find it difficult to simply be still before God without having to do anything?
- What would be a practical next step in the coming days to give God’s presence more conscious space?
