I know I like to share the amazing times that I have had being alone with God, but to leave it there would not be sharing the whole truth. There are many times when I meet with God, when I spend time alone with Him, and He is absent and sometimes the “why” is not always clear.
How long, Lord? Will You forget me forever?
How long will You hide Your face from me? – Psalm 13:1 NASB
I have asked this question after a prolonged period of silence, but I know that there is something He is calling me to listen for and in the silence of my waiting it will only be a matter of time.
That is where my patience comes from. I do not care for the length of my waiting but I have experienced the impatience and that has never ended well. I know that my time of silence with God is going to end and I ask the question, “How long?” less and less.
The secret, I find, is to find that sin, that thing that I prioritize more then God.
Do not turn to idols or make for yourselves cast metal gods; I am the Lord your God. – Leviticus 19:4 NASB
I may love God so much, but there are times when, without realising it, I have turned both my heart and my face away from Him. I walk into an arena of “pretend.” How is it that I feel I can walk in both worlds?
All this gets straightened out when I keep waiting and listening.
On the next day, as they were on their way and approaching the city, Peter went up on the housetop about the sixth hour to pray. – Acts 10:9 NASB
Now this is an unforgettable time alone with God and the quiet place is a housetop.
Peter was following the same discipline of solitude that Jesus had cultivated. He had taken what Jesus perfected in the art of getting alone with God. He had learned the secret of waiting on God. They are both perfect examples. So I seek and find my solitary place to regularly get alone with God.
The idea is that solitude is when I am alone with God – completed by silence – it is a time where I do nothing. My devotional time is for Bible study etc. and my alone time is solitude and silence. I am focusing on my intimacy with Jesus. I am unhooking from my daily responsibilities and the people I interact with, in order to be with Jesus alone. When I am in solitude, I do not try to make anything happen. I just bring myself, as I am, to Jesus to be with Him.
Father, how amazing is the journey You set my heart on when I keep listening, engaging with You, hearing You lead me in the way You have purposed me to go. Amazing things happen to me and to others. Thank You.
Erwin (evanlaar1922)
Sixty-six books in a year 
Reblogged this on Alone with God.
What a beautiful picture of waiting on God! I travel a lot, so I listen to audiobooks, Christian music, or sermons on the radio. But there are times when I drive in silence. To be sure, I am engaged in being a responsible driver, but I am amazed at the inspiration, comfort, and solutions that pop into my head as I listen for God on those long trips. I am encouraged to create more of these times of solitude in other settings.