How to be still before the Lord

Who taught you to pray? My mom, grandma, and Sunday School teachers prayed to explain just how to talk to God. I can remember closing my eyes, bowing my head; this mere action brings stillness to your heart.

Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! Psalm 46:10.

Our Word today is still. Still’s definition is not moving or making a sound or a deep silence and calm. The Word still is in the Bible 220 times.

Still

Another verse in Psalm reads.

Be angry, and do not sin. Meditate within your heart on your bed, and be still. Selah Psalm 4:4.

God’s beautiful earth declares a hush or stillness in the morning. The dew, haze, and the calm before the storm all express silence as we glimpse at God’s creation.

[Tweet “Learning how to be still, and let life happen, that stillness becomes a radiance. Morgan Freeman”]

So how do you be still before the Lord? Read this verse with me,

He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. Psalm 23:2.

God calms the seas, and he stills the water. He still our hearts. He gives us peace. Peace, a calming peace. In His presence, we have a peace that only God can provide. He provides us with the ability to appreciate the stillness of the morning, the calm of the evening, and yes, even in the middle of the night, we can be still before our God.

Complication

What complicates the life that prevents you from experiencing stillness?

The disciples were in a boat, and the sea raged around them. Finally, Jesus calmed the sea, and all was still.

Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. Mark 4:39.

He does the same for our lives, he calms the waves, and we can rest by the still water.

Father God, still the world, we are in troubled waters, and we need you to intervene calming the seas. Could you help us to stay on the boat? To not jump in the murky waters that are not calm and still. Bless each one of us, Lord, with the beauty that surrounds us. In Jesus’s name, amen.

My mother prayed every day for me as I became an adult. She modeled a prayer life for me—one of being still and surrender.

What storm do you need to give to God?