Stillness lingers as the outline of the mountains shifts from purple to grey. As the sun peeks over the highest ridgeline, birds usher in the morning with their joyous announcement. From my prayer chair, I notice young mothers pushing strollers toward the nearby park, the older gentleman from up the street pausing near our driveway as he walks his pint-sized mixed-breed, and several harried men and women rushing little ones into the neighbor’s in-home daycare.

I smile and inhale the scent of chamomile tea wafting from the mug in my hands. Then, I pause and thank God for the slower pace. School seems a distant prospect and these quiet moments in His presence sustain me. Strengthen me. Carry me through and anchor my spirit in Truth.

And I wonder how many of the people outside my window will make space for stillness with the Lord today.

The Importance of Stillness

Making space for quiet. For calm. For stillness of soul. What an uncommon practice in a schedule-packed, social-media-driven world. Since childhood, I have loved stillness. The gentle laughter of a brook as it bubbles over pebbles on its way downstream and the evening cry of a lone owl camouflaged in the arms of a cottonwood gentle my heart when troubles overwhelm.

When the pandemic made its menacing appearance, the desire to seek the tangible presence of God burned brighter. The importance of stillness was somehow magnified.

Making space for quiet. For calm. For stillness of soul. What an uncommon practice in a schedule-packed, social-media-driven world. #stillness Click To Tweet

What does stillness before the Lord mean?

Psalm 46:10 (NKJV) instructs, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”

The words be still are translated from the Hebrew, harpu, which means “to let go, to release” or “to cause to let go”. Yada, rendered be still, can also be interpreted “know well, clearly understand” and “declare”.

Like me, do you need to release the mundane of your day or challenges and trials? The Father invites us to a place of rest. There, we can sit at His feet in a time of solitude—extending our cares with open hands and exchanging them for the light burden of Christ. (Matthew 11:28-30)

The Father invites us to a place of rest. There, we can sit at His feet in a time of solitude—extending our cares with open hands and exchanging them for the light burden of Christ.#stillness Click To Tweet

How can we practice stillness in God’s presence?

Ways we can grow in the practice of stillness with God include:

• Bullet journaling or recording prayers in a journal as part of our time with the Lord. (Keep a notepad nearby and if thoughts about daily activities intrude, record them. Then return to our appointment with the Lord.)

• Listen to and sing praise and worship songs.

• Follow a daily Bible-reading plan.

• Take a prayer walk.

• Write a Psalm.

• Listen to the Bible on audio.

• Meditate on scripture. Read and re-read one section of scripture (i.e. a favorite Psalm or chapter of a favorite book of the Bible) until it is memorized.

• Pray scripture aloud over our spouse, children, extended family, and ourselves.

• Listen to instrumental worship music and invite the Lord to speak to our hearts. Gradually extend the time we spend with Him.

Five Favorite Bible Verses About Stillness

• But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. (Is. 40:31 ESV)
• Hear this, O Job; stop and consider the wondrous works of God. (Job 37:14 ESV)
• For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, “In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.” (Is. 30:15 ESV)
• And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper. (1 Kings 19:12 ESV)
• For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him. (Ps. 62:5 ESV)