A Plan for Extended Solitude

1. Find a place where you can be uninterrupted and alone, such as a park or retreat center.

2. Spend a brief time the night before to get ready, to ask God to bless the day, and to tell him you want to devote the day to Him. This day is your gift to God, but even more, it is a gift God wants to give you. What do you need from the Lord: A sense of healing and forgiveness? Conviction for an apathetic heart? Compassion? A renewed sense of mission? Ask Him for this.

3. Arrange the day around listening to God. The following format is adapted from Glandion Carney’s book The Spiritual Formation Toolkit.

8:00-9:00 - Prepare your mind and heart, take a walk, or do whatever will help you set aside concerns over tasks and responsibilities. Try to arrange your morning so you can remain in silence from the time you awaken.

9:00-11:00 - Read and meditate on Scripture, taking time to stop and reflect when God seems to be speaking to you through the text.

11:00-12:00 - Write down responses to what you have read. Speak to God about them.

12:00-1:00 - Eat lunch and take a walk, reflecting on the morning.

1:00-2:00 - Take a nap.

2:00-3:00 - Set goals that emerge from the day’s reflection.

3:00-4:00 - Write down these goals and other thoughts in a journal. You may want to do this in a letter to God. Prepare to reenter your normal life.

(Excerpt from John Ortberg’s The Life You’ve Always Wanted)