43- Solitude and Silence Drills

The Bible states: “Consecrate a fast, Call a sacred assembly.“ (Joel 1:14). Place this verse before you and train yourself in solitude.

What is meant by solitude is being in seclusion with God, for there are those who isolate themselves at home doing in no spiritual work and concentrate on the radio, television, or magazines, or delve into conversation with others at home! Or they may indulge in sinful thoughts!

Seclusion should actually be indulgence in spiritual work that you do with your bedroom door closed between you and God.

You seclude yourself with the Bible, with the biographies of saints, with prostration, and with prayer.

If you have a spiritual agenda you will love seclusion.

If you benefit by your seclusion in a spiritual way, you will pursue it and feel that it is a blessing from God.

Therefore, set a schedule, devote yourself to implement it. Try to free yourself during this period from your friends and recreations, for God will become your true friend in this period, and train yourself to do without useless talk and idle chatter. You will then be able to seclude yourself and labour with God.

If you cannot be in seclusion throughout the fast, then try the following:

Use the drill of “Some closed days.”

This means that you specify certain days during which you do not leave home, and we have discussed this issue before here on st-takla.org in other pages. You should organise your business, concerns and visits in such a way as to enable you to seclude yourself on these closed days. You may begin with one day a week, then two, then more.

However, what should you do if you cannot seclude yourself with God?

If you cannot close your doors during a fast, then at least secure your mouth against sinful words.