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TheDiscipleMD

Sometimes solitude is hard to find, and finding a place where you can be alone is the best place to ponder and pray. Most of us live in the city; that is, places where the hand print of man is found on almost all we see. As I survey out my office I am surrounded by stores, parking lots, restaurants and gas stations. Looking out my window to the North, South, East or West gives me the same sights; it’s the images of man. It is busy, noisy, and yells out to be worshipped! Because of that I enjoy the peace and quite of one of my faith’s temples. There I have found refuse and solace during my times of angst. But, a temple might not always be available at our moment of need. In a tense moment of our life we might remember that the spirit of the Lord can be found “in holy places”, and those “places” can be most anywhere.

Over the years, I have taken the opportunity to seek out the Lord in the solitude of the woods by my house, in parks and on the grounds of the temple. I have availed myself the opportunity to seek wisdom in local church buildings.  I once sat in the church pews, alone, in the dark, during the middle of the day with no one else in the building. I had a wonderful time. Sometimes, under the right condition, I have communicated with Deity while driving my car, or sitting in my car. And certainly, our homes are places of learning. I have felt the warmth of the spirit while dressed in nothing but my pajamas while kneeling in my house. Mostly, I have learned, that the spirit of the Lord will communicate with me when I take the time to excuse myself from the world. A common denominator to finding the Lord is having faith that He exists, and then taking the opportunity to have a “private” conversation with Him. That means creating an environment where you have no distractions.

We live in busy times and have busy lives! The world is much like the mythical creatures written about in the Odyssey called the “Sirens.” The alluring song of the Sirens, who had the body of a bird and the head of a beautiful woman, captivated seaman who, hearing their songs from the shore, would guide their ship too close to the shore and wreak their ships on the rocks from whence came the “Sirens” sang. The song of the world can be beautiful and lure us to our deaths. We need to take the time to block out the enticing sounds of the world and seek the spirit. All of us need to have “places” to go where we can communicate with the Lord. Some places are better than others, but the reality is, it can be most anywhere, because, His spirit permeates the universe.