This is the great work of the Scriptures, and their service to us, that we may witness them fulfilled in us, and so discern the state of God’s spirit and ways upon them, by the inward acquaintance we have with the same Spirit and work in our hearts.

– Robert Barclay,
Apology, 1676

Walk and talk and work and laugh with your friends. But behind the scenes keep up the life of simple prayer and inward worship. Keep it up throughout the day. Let inward prayer be your last act before you fall asleep and the first act when you awake.

– Thomas R. Kelly,
A Testament of Devotion, 1941

The capacity to be alone is a necessary balance to the press of social life, and the healing power of solitude is central to our well-being. It promotes self-understanding and contact with those inner depths of being that often elude us when meeting the demands of daily living. Above all, solitude provides the opportunity to be alone with God and opens us to the workings of the Spirit.