Making Room: Solitude, Silence, Sabbath, and Fasting

What You Will Learn

• Explain solitude and silence as making room to be with God, with trauma-informed options
• Describe Sabbath rest as a gift, not a burden (Mark 2:27)
• Explain the purpose of fasting and the mandatory safety guidance, including non-food alternatives
• Plan realistic practices of rest and quiet inside a facility and after release

Lesson Notes

Solitude and Silence

Jesus often stepped away to be with His Father: And he withdrew himself into the wilderness, and prayed (Luke 5:16). He invited tired disciples, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while (Mark 6:31). Elijah heard God in a still small voice (1 Kings 19:12).

Solitude is time alone with God. Silence is quieting noise so we can listen. Inside, true solitude is rare, but a few quiet minutes are possible: early morning, after count, or at lights out. Silence is resting in God's presence, often with a verse to hold onto.

When Quiet Is Hard: Options

For some women, silence can bring up painful memories or fear. That is not a spiritual failure. You always have options:

• Keep it short: one or two minutes is enough to begin.
• Keep your eyes open, sit where you can see the door, or stay in a shared space.
• Hold an anchor: a verse card (Be still, and know that I am God) or a short breath prayer.
• Add gentle sound: quiet worship music or a hymn hummed under your breath, where permitted.
• Write instead: journal a short prayer instead of sitting in silence.
• Stop anytime. If quiet becomes overwhelming, switch to spoken or written prayer, and talk with the chaplain or mental health staff.

When you lead others, always offer these options and never require silence or solitude.

Sabbath Rest: A Gift

God rested on the seventh day and commanded, Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy (Exodus 20:8). Jesus clarified the heart of it: The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath (Mark 2:27). Sabbath is a gift of rest, worship, and trust. For so he giveth his beloved sleep (Psalm 127:2).

Christians hold different convictions about which day and how; we do not judge one another. Inside, you can set aside part of a day for worship, rest, and gratitude. After release, work, supervision, and family may make rest hard. Choose a realistic rest window each week (even a few hours). Rest is not laziness; it is trust.

Fasting Wisely and Safely

Fasting is setting aside something good for a time in order to focus on God in prayer. Jesus taught about fasting in secret, not for show (Matthew 6:16–18). The early church ministered to the Lord, and fasted when seeking His direction (Acts 13:2). Isaiah 58:6 joins true fasting to mercy: to undo the heavy burdens.

Fasting safety (required reading):

• Fasting is never required in this course, and no one may require it of anyone they disciple.
• Do not fast from food if you are pregnant or nursing, have any medical condition, take any medication, or have any history of struggles with eating. Talk with a medical provider before considering any food fast.
• Inside a facility, follow facility and medical rules. Never skip meals against guidance.
• Non-food fasts are full alternatives, not second best: fasting from TV, phone, social media, music, gossip, complaining, a snack or habit, or a free-time activity, and using that time to pray.
• Fasting never earns God's favor, punishes the body, or proves spiritual strength. Stop and seek care if you feel unwell.

Your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost (1 Corinthians 6:19). Caring for it honors God.

Key Terms

In-Class Activities

Two Minutes With God

Your instructor will lead a two-minute quiet time. Choose your option first: eyes open or closed, holding the Psalm 46:10 card, or writing a prayer. You may stop at any time. Afterward, write one sentence about what it was like. You will not be asked to share.

Plan a Safe Fast and a Real Rest

Part A: Read the fasting safety list. Plan a non-food fast you could keep for one day or one week (what you will set aside, when, and what you will do with that time instead). Part B: Plan a weekly Sabbath rest window for your current setting and one for after release: when, what you will set aside, and what will refresh you.

Assignment: Rest and Room Plan

Write one page:

• Psalm 46:10 and Mark 2:27 written out in KJV.
• Practice quiet with God three times this week, using any option; write two lines about each.
• Describe your non-food fast plan, or another way you made room for God if you choose not to fast.
• Describe your weekly Sabbath rest window for now and for after release.
• Copy the fasting safety list in your own words.

Graded with the Module Assignment Rubric.

Reflection Journal

Psalm 46:10 says Be still, and know that I am God. What makes stillness easy or hard for you? What is one thing that crowds out God in your life right now, and what might you set aside to make room for Him?

Prayer focus: Ask God to teach you to be still and to rest in Him, and thank Him that Sabbath and quiet are gifts, not burdens.

Be Still, Gently

Be still, and know that I am God (Psalm 46:10). Jesus often slipped away to pray, and He invited tired friends to rest a while. Stillness makes room for God's voice, which Elijah heard as a still small voice.

For some women, quiet is not peaceful at first. Old memories may rise, or fear may grow when the room is silent. That is not failure. Keep your eyes open. Keep it to one or two minutes. Hold a verse card. Hum a hymn under your breath, or write a prayer instead. You can stop anytime, and you can talk with the chaplain or mental health staff about anything that comes up.

Sabbath is a gift too: The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath (Mark 2:27). Inside, set aside part of a day for worship and gratitude. After release, protect even a few hours each week to rest and trust God with what you cannot finish.

Fasting means setting something aside to focus on prayer. It is never required. If you are pregnant or nursing, have a medical condition, take medication, or have any history of eating struggles, do not fast from food; talk with a medical provider first. Inside, follow facility and medical rules and never skip meals against guidance. Fasting from TV, a phone, social media, or a habit is a full and faithful alternative.

Think About It

1. Which option makes quiet with God easier for you? ______________________
2. When could you take a weekly rest, now and after release? ______________________
3. What non-food fast could make room for prayer? ______________________

Daily Devotions for Week 4

Be Still

Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.— Psalm 46:10 (KJV)

Stillness reminds us that God is God and we are not.

Reflect: What are you trying to control that belongs to God?

Pray: Lord, quiet my heart to know You.

Do: Spend two minutes with Psalm 46:10, using any option that helps.

Rest a While

And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat.— Mark 6:31 (KJV)

Jesus noticed His friends were worn out and invited them to rest.

Reflect: Where do you need Jesus' invitation to rest?

Pray: Jesus, teach me to rest with You.

Do: Plan one restful hour this week.

Made for Man

And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath:— Mark 2:27 (KJV)

Rest is God's gift to us, not a burden to carry.

Reflect: How could rest be a gift rather than a rule?

Pray: Thank You, Lord, for the gift of rest.

Do: Choose your weekly rest window.

In Secret

But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.— Matthew 6:17–18 (KJV)

Fasting is between us and God, never a show. A non-food fast honors God fully.

Reflect: What could you set aside to make room for prayer?

Pray: Father, I make room for You.

Do: Set aside TV or a habit for one evening and pray instead.

A Temple

What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?— 1 Corinthians 6:19 (KJV)

Caring for your body honors God. No discipline should ever harm it.

Reflect: How can you care for your body as God's temple this week?

Pray: Lord, help me honor You in my body.

Do: Eat your meals, drink water, and rest well today.