In today's devotional, we're going to look at the value of solitude and making space to hear from God.

In all the noise of our world, solitude is more important now than ever.

We need quiet to tune our ears to the still, small voice of God. We need the type of peace

that only comes from quieting our hearts and minds. We need the type of relationship with God

that can only be formed in solitude. May God empower us to quiet ourselves today in his presence.

Welcome to the First 15 podcast.

Solitude, a time set apart where the rush, noise, and anxiety of the world fall mute on the ears and heart of a child of God completely lost

in the peace and presence of the Creator. Solitude is time to be with your heavenly father,

free from the distraction the world offers us at seemingly every moment. We are made for consistent time spent in solitude.

C.S. Lewis wrote, in the weight of glory, we live in fact in a world starved for solitude,

silence and private, and therefore starved for meditation and true friendship.

Most of us have grown accustomed to what truly does amount to being starved for solitude.

We never fully realize how great our need is to be alone with our sustainer.

Let's take some time today to recognize our need for solitude

and then learn how to best practice solitude on a daily basis. You can know that you need solitude

for one reason. Jesus needed it. All over the New Testament, we see examples of Jesus going off on his own to pray.

One example, Mark 1.35, tells us that Jesus rising very early in the morning, while it was still

dark, departed, and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed. Jesus, who practiced perfect communion with His Heavenly Father while here on Earth,

still needed to spend time and solitude.

Jesus, who loved parties, love people, and was God and man simultaneously needed time alone?

If he needed it, you and I can be sure we need it.

When God incarnate was up against his hardest task, the crucifixion, he didn't

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