Sermon Cloud

"Blue Christmas" 12-16-07

Big Idea: Loneliness is Good when it leads to Solitude
"Who among you fears the LORD and obeys his servant? If you are walking in
darkness, without a ray of light, trust in the LORD and rely on your God."
isaiah50/10nlt

*crowd 163 *alone 167

Jesus spent 40 days alone in the desert- Matthew 4

Before choosing 12 disciples he spent the night alone in the desert hills-Luke 6

Went to a lonely place when he heard of John the Baptist' death- Matthew 14

After feeding 5,000 he went to the hills by himself- Matthew 14

After a long night of work he went to a lonely place before sunrise- Mark 1
Prayed alone for hours in Gethsemane the night before his crucifixion-Matthew 26

"To draw near to listen is better than to offer the sacrifice of fools"ecclesiastes5/1 esv

HOW TO TURN LONLINESS INTO SOLITUDE

In the silence, Trust God
""I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said.""luke1/38

Embrace God's Work in the "inner place" of your heart
"Who among you fears the LORD and obeys his servant? If you are walking in
darkness, without a ray of light, trust in the LORD and rely on your God."
isaiah50/10nlt

HOW TO CULTIVATE SOLITUDE IN YOUR LIFE

Notice the Little Solitudes that fill your day
"The feelings I get when I see the high mountain ranges -stirrings of desire,
longings for the heights- Remind me of you..." song of Solomon 7/5 TM

Create a Margin in your life for solitude
"I rise early, before the sun is up; I cry out for help and put my hope in your
words." psalm119/147nlt