Alone/Together

“Let him who cannot be alone beware of community. Let him who is not in

community beware of being alone.” - Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Fellowship is an intricate part of the Christian walk. As we learned last

week there are many ways to grow spiritually with the people God has

placed in our lives. We must work hard to create fruitful community that

flourishes in the word and Spirit of God.

There is another part of the Christian life that is just as important as

fellowship. This is the concept of spending time alone. Many people can’t

bare to spend time alone, but it is important for our personal growth and

fellowship with the Lord. In our time alone we become better equipped to

live in community and grow together. We cannot use community as a

distraction from loneliness or personal issues. As we spend time alone

we have the opportunity to exercise some disciplines that we cannot in

the realm of community.

The first discipline we experience during our time in solitude is the

discipline of silence. We must be mindful, however, that “dumbness does

not create solitude and chatter does not create fellowship” (Bonhoeffer 78).

Spending time in silence is not to muse about our sufferings or talk at God,

but rather to experience the Word of God in a new way. In Bonhoeffer’s

Words, “silence is nothing else but waiting for God’s Word and coming from

God’s Word with a blessing” (79). This type of silence is a skill that must be

learned and we must have patience with ourself as seek to understand how

to be silent in the presence of God.

The second discipline we get to experience is meditation. When we spend

time alone we get the opportunity to personally meditate. This time “is to be

devoted to the Scriptures, private prayer, and intercession” (81). This

meditation allows us to be alone with the Lord. Our personal scripture reading

can focus on only a few verses or concepts that stuck with us. The Word will

linger in our minds, influencing our behavior,  and helping us become more

like Christ.

When we spend time in solitude we are given the opportunity to spend time

in prayer and intercession. This is a time to communicate needs to God, to

confess our sin, and pray for others. Intercession is crucial to the health of

the Christian community. Spending time bringing others before the throne

of God helps resolve conflicts and move our eyes beyond ourselves.

Our time of solitude greatly impacts our time spent in community. Being

alone gives us time to grow in our personal relationship with God, pray

for others, and meditate on His Word. We are members of a body,

though we are part of a whole we are also individuals who will ultimately

stand before the Lord and be judged for his life. Bonhoeffer finishes this

chapter by saying, “blessed is he who is alone in the strength of the

fellowship and blessed is he who keeps the fellowship in the strength of

aloneness” (89). Christian community strengthens us as iron sharpens

iron but also prepares us for time spent alone. When we grow and are

refreshed personally in the word of God we can use this knowledge to

Help our community learn to do the same.