How to do a Christian Spiritual Retreat

The idea of a spiritual retreat may be a new idea for you. I know it was for me up until a few years ago! There are several Christian writers, pastors, and speakers talking about the benefits of silence, solitude, Sabbath, and times to set aside to be with the Lord and I’m thankful for their encouragement to make these practices a regular rhythm of the Christian life.

I personally was inspired to finally pull the trigger and schedule a spiritual retreat a few years ago after a couple from our church shared about what it looks like for them to do this regularly. I also had several friends who had practiced silence and solitude through spiritual retreats who were able to give me an idea of what this would look like. My plan is to make a formal resource for you on how to do your own spiritual retreat soon! Make sure you’re subscribed to the SIE email list so you’ll know when it’s available.

I also filmed a YouTube video about how to do a spiritual retreat that will be posted soon. Subscribe to the SIE YouTube Channel to see it!

What is a spiritual retreat?

The idea of a spiritual retreat with times of prayer, silence, and solitude is rooted in scripture in the life of Jesus. We see that Jesus often went off by himself to spend time in prayer and with God the Father.

“And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.” Mark 1:35 (ESV)

“But now even more the report about him went abroad, and great crowds gathered to hear him and to be healed of their infirmities. But he would withdraw to desolate places and pray.” Luke 5:15-16 (ESV)

“In these days he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God.” Luke 6:12 (ESV)

“And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. And they went away in the boat to a desolate place by themselves.” Mark 6:31-32 (ESV)

A spiritual retreat is a time set aside to draw near to God and strengthen your relationship with Him. In my opinion, a spiritual retreat should be centered on time in the Word, prayer, and reflection. We’ll talk more about these categories in a minute. A spiritual retreat can be done alone or with others, but should always have a component of extended time alone with the Lord.

A spiritual retreat isn’t meant to be a self-focused day of self care, but rather a time to pour out your heart to the Lord and allow Him to fan the flame of your faith, love, and devotion to Him. It is self care, but not the way the world would define it!

What You Need

1. Pick a time and place

This may seem obvious, but planning is essential! This will be a sacrifice in some way, whether it is your time and/or money if you plan to pay for a place to stay overnight. Schedule a time in advance and make arrangements for things like meals, lodging, and childcare if needed.

If you’re doing just a few hours or a day away, make sure it’s somewhere that’s not your home. It’s just too easy to fall back into your normal everyday rhythms and what we’re shooting for is a divine interruption to your life! I have a few spots in my city that I love and are places I’m able to walk, pray, journal, and spend time with the Lord. Personally I need a place that’s outside and holds some beauty in some way. This can be a trail, a loop around a lake, a mountain hike, a community garden, or anywhere that is special for you. This should be a place that’s not overly crowded where you can focus on the Lord and helps your heart settle down and enjoy time with Him. For me, it’s been beautiful to have a place that’s my go-to local location for praying and seeking the Lord.

Pause: Write down one place in your city that may be a good place to do a local spiritual retreat. Somewhere that could be a place you could consistently go to be with God by yourself.

I have one place that I’ve gone to three times now for an overnight spiritual retreat. It’s less than one hour from my home, which I find helpful because it’s an easy drive. We’re fortunate to have several beautiful places in the mountains to escape to where I live in NC. It’s very affordable, not crowded, and there are walking trails throughout the property that guests are able to use. This isn’t a formal spiritual retreat center, although I do have friends who have gone to one of those!

Pause: Think of a place within a 2 hour drive of you that could be a possible spot for an overnight spiritual retreat. Ask friends for recommendations if you need to!

2. Plan Your Time

After doing this a few times, having a plan for how to spend my time has been helpful for me. I’ll choose a few sections of scripture to study/meditate on and work through those as I have time so I don’t have to come up with what to read while I’m there. I recommend bringing a Bible, journal, pens, and your favorite Bible highlighters.

3. Prayer:

I have several prayer outlines and categories I’ll journal and pray through. Here is a short list of some examples:

• Hour of Prayer from this book
• Praise
• Lament
• Confessing Sin
• Intercessory Prayer
• Petitions
• Praying for the lost
• Praying for my family
• Praying for my church and small group
• Praying for my city, country, and the world
• Praying for missionaries
• Seeking guidance and direction: ministry, family, personal life, relationships

4. Books to read

In addition to spending time in scripture and prayer, I’ll bring one book that I think will light a fire to my faith and give me a great passion for the Lord. I typically can’t finish it, but will continue to read it when I get home.

5. Rest

To me, a spiritual retreat is what my ideal Sabbath would be like. Worship and rest! This is not a day to be productive, strive, or achieve something. This is a day to seek the Lord, rest in His presence, and restore your soul so that you can re-enter your normal routines with fresh energy and intimacy with God. Therefore, you may want to take a nap, sit outside and read, or anything else that you find restful and restorative!

5. Community

By definition, silence and solitude has to be done alone, but I’ve found that building in times for friendship and prayer with friends can be a powerful addition to a spiritual retreat. In fact, for overnight retreats, I prefer to have friends join me! This can look like riding together to the retreat location, spending the day apart, then rejoining each other for dinner and sharing how the Lord has ministered to you throughout the day.

When other people share how the Lord is speaking to them and working in their life, it is always an encouragement to me! Doing a retreat with friends can be a sweet time of celebrating the Lord’s faithfulness and goodness together.

What questions do you have? Let me know and stay tuned for those additional resources I mentioned at the beginning of this article!