Greetings in the name of the One who leads us to The Father [the Way] by the pathway of Truth that brings Life, Jesus Christ – THE Risen Saviour! What a morning in the Kingdom…we have everything except bright sunshine and blue skies – and yet the Psalmist declares: This is the day that the Lord has made! I will be praying for you today, asking Father to watch over your “comings and goings” with safety and protection.
As part of my recovery process, I am instructed to take 20-30 minutes each day and simply sit quietly with my eyes closed…and relax. It is supposed to help reduce stress. Oddly, I find similar advice in Scripture: Be still and know that I am God – Psalm 46:10a NIV — So, surrender! Stand silent and stop your striving, and you will see that I am God! – Psalm 46:10a TPT. Now, it sounds simple enough but it is not easy to do…”surrender – stop your striving”! I don’t know about you but I am not built for that sort of non-active activity. I mean sitting silently before God seems counter-intuitive but I keep having to re-learn that it is in fact “transformative”.
At our church Bible study, some time ago, we explored spiritual disciplines that would strengthen our relationship with God…and “stillness/silence” was one of the key disciplines. So I went looking for my notes because there was a simple outline on how to be silent and still. I have an idea that there are some who need to learn how to be silent and still before God, so I want to share the four steps of this ‘spiritual discipline. First, sit down, get comfortable, close your eyes, and take some deep breaths – settle into a silence. Second, have a simple, personal prayer that expresses your vulnerability and longing for God (eg. “Abba, Father, Jesus, Holy Spirit, Here I am, Come Lord Jesus, have mercy on me. – one of mine is a verse from a song – “Jesus, tender lover of my soul, pardoner of my sins and friend indeed, Keeper of the garden of my heart, Jesus, thou art everything to me ) Third, using this simple, personal prayer, allow God full access to your life…and surrender, stop striving, and be silent and still. Fourth, if you get distracted, offer your simple prayer back to God.
I know it sounds easy enough but it is amazing how distracted you can become…so, set a timer and you won’t have to think about timing. If this is a new discipline…start with 5 or 10 minutes and grow into spending quality time with God. As this is a discipline – don’t talk about it or research it…just do it! Pay attention to God’s response to your intention and longing to be in His presence.
Be blessed! (PS here are many verses in the Bible that talk of “stillness” and “being quiet” and “silence”)