In the Cave of the Heart: Solitude in Scripture

In the Cave of the Heart:
Solitude in Scripture

Isolation in the bible comes in many forms: direct narrative, parable, teaching, metaphor - just as an example. In 2005 I became a member of the Order of St Benedict (Camaldolese Rule) - we follow the rule of St Benedict but believe in finding isolation in our prayer time, our spiritual and physical work. Camaldolese Benedictine’s are hermits, most living in monastic settings around the world, but some - like myself - commit to following the pattern of daily prayer and being present with God in the silence and solitude of the day, following Christ’s own example to withdraw from the world.

Continually Jesus withdrew from people, daily life activities, and the demands of his ministry to be alone with the Father and pray. Jesus’ solitude and silence is a major theme in the Gospels. His ongoing, intimate relationship with his Abba was the source of his compassion, wisdom, and power that we see on every page of the Gospels. “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” (Mark 1:35). And let us not forget the New Testament’s mirroring of the Old Testament of Noah and the Great Flood, Jesus spends 40 days of solitude in the desert: “At once the Spirit sent [Jesus] out into the desert, and he was in the desert forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him.” (Mark 1:12)

If you feel lonely remember God cares for you. He knows about isolation and isolation. Jesus experienced the greatest isolation of all when the Father forsook him on the cross. God knows and cares.

The response to isolation may be to take up a new hobby, make more time for friends or get a pet. Isolation is seen as something bad and we must take action to overcome it. But God can help transform it into something beneficial for us.

Isolation can cause us to seek God in a deeper way

We are so busy we often leave little time for God. When we are alone God has the opportunity to speak to us and receive our undivided attention. Nine times in the gospels we are told that Jesus went away to a lonely place to be with the father. Jesus sought out solitude so he could seek the father's will for his life.

Many of the early church fathers were called desert fathers because they sought out the desert as a lonely place to find God. In fact, the Hebrew word for lonely can also be translated as solitude or desert.

When we are alone and seek after God we will be rewarded. He will give us increased discernment so desperately needed today. This kind of guidance and wisdom does not come without setting apart time to be with God.

Sometimes God causes us to seek him by driving us to him through the isolation we experience. We can get angry, depressed or we can see it as a gift. Isolation is a great benefit if we have drawn closer to Christ.

Isolation can be used by God to develop our character

In isolation God reveals our weaknesses and works on changing them. God will test and even increase our patience while we wait in our isolation. Our deficiencies, insecurities and defence mechanisms are revealed in our aloneness, which God can then use to strengthen our character.

Paul knew the power of weaknesses becoming strengths when he said, "When I am weak then I am strong." When we are alone our commitment is tested and our true character shines through. Being faithful alone gives us confidence we can be faithful in community.

Amy Carmichael knew about isolation. She was a missionary to India for 55 years and twice because of accidents had to spend months alone. In her solitude she wrote many books.

In one of her books, “Gold By Midnight,” there is a boy who takes a walk in the woods and in the deepest, darkest place finds a patch of lovely orchids. In that lonely place God brought forth great beauty. And God can cultivate beauty in your character through isolation.

Isolation can inspire us to greater creativity

Carl Sandburg wrote, "Shakespeare, Leonardo de Vinci, Benjamin Franklin and Abraham Lincoln never saw a movie, heard a radio or looked at a TV. They had isolation and knew what to do with it. They were not afraid of being lonely because they knew that then the creative mood in them would work."

Creative problem solvers are needed in our world. Imagine the great things God would do if we could tap into His creativity for us. I recently spent five days alone writing. I had so many insights and got so much more done alone than I could when I am around people.

In "Life Together" Dietrich Bonheoffer wrote about the need for community and solitude. He said, "If you refuse to be alone you are rejecting Christ's call to you and you can have no part in the community of those who are called." He wrote such strong words because he knew the importance of time alone with God.

God wants to give us dreams and visions of what can be done through us and that can come through aloneness. Your greatest achievement may be birthed out of your isolation.

Isolation can create in us a desire to serve

When we are away from people we can come to appreciate humanity more. What we learn in our isolation can give us a heightened sensitivity to others. There is a time apart and there is also a time to be in community.

True community involves our serving one another in love. Sometimes the very fact of our isolation results from our sitting instead of serving.

A boy once asked a lonely old man, "What is life's heaviest burden?" The man responded by saying, "To have nothing to carry." We are needed to do a work no one else but us can do.

In our isolation we can see what needs there are and then determine how God can use us to meet them. There is so much to be done and God may have to put us in a lonely place for a season so that we can get a greater burden to serve.

God makes a home for the lonely. It is a place where he can work in us it is a place that can be very beneficial for us. It is not a place to avoid for we are never alone. God will never forsake us, but he will transform us.

The early church fathers – and anchorites and anchoresses of the medieval church – knew and understood the value of isolation. Within that silence that is so difficult to obtain in a hectic and ever busy world, finding moments of solitude can be a challenge – but it need not last for hours. Take what time you can, during this period of social isolation, and explore the works and teachings of those saints who came before as an example of Christian spiritualism, always choosing the moment to meet God in the cave of the heart over the chattering and maddening cacophony of worldly demands.

In the cave of the heart you will experience the Divine in ways that will both challenge and delight in equal measure.

Stay safe, stay open to the guidance of the God who was, who is and always will be.

With my blessings to you,

Archbishop Felix OSB Cam

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