Psalm 46:10 Be Still and Know that I am God.
If we break this down it means there are two parts to that verse. The first part is Be still. The second part is And know that I am God. Why is that important?
Have you ever heard the saying that if the Devil can't get you to his side, he will just make us busy? I'd add distracted to that. Think of
it! What a better way to keep us from connecting with God! It tells
us in Psalm 46:10 - “Be still and know that I am God”, but if we
can't be still, how will we finish that? How will we know God?
God speaks to us in our every day world, though we rarely hear it. This is because we need to slow down. Stop. Listen to that still, small voice. But how can we do that while we continue to rush from activity to activity? Today I will just briefly mention a few ways I take time to slow down and meet the Lord, but this post would become far too long if I went into detail on them all. So feel free to ask questions in the comments.
With all these exercises of stillness get into a comfortable position and take a few deep breaths. Breathe in through your nose, hold it, then release out through your mouth. Close your eyes, invite the Holy Spirit to come to your awareness.
*Meditation/Contemplation. This is not like the new age to clear your mind, this is Meditating on God, on His Truth. It says in Psalm 1:2-3 'but those whose delights in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither- whatever they do prospers.' So even the Lord asks us to meditate upon Him and be still in His Presence. To begin to meditate, ask the Lord for a word or phrase to hold on to as you are quiet. As you meditate, if worries or thoughts from life come up, gently notice them and let them pass as clouds in the sky. Release them, then return to the word or phrase the Lord has given you.
*There's an experiential that Terry Wardle teaches called the 3 R's, as a way of coming into the Lord's Presence. In his book called Every Breath We Take, Terry goes into great detail of this. I'd highly encourage you to get it. The first R is to Rest in the Presence of the Lord - in your imagination ask the Lord for the rest He wants to give you. One time as I thought of resting before the Lord, I had the image of curling up in the Father's hand. It was so comfortable and tender. The second R is to Receive what the Lord is wanting to give to you. Ask Him as you are there resting, "Lord what would you like me to receive from you today?" The third R is responding to the Lord's love. Recently at a seminar I asked the Lord how I would respond. This opened things up for me in ways they hadn't before. Always before I just wondered what my response was and while that was good this time I saw the Lord showing me to go and tell others. This was a whole new thought on Responding to what He gave me.
*Imaginative Contemplation from pray-as-you-go.org, this is where you place yourself into stories from Scripture. You become one of the characters or a bystander in the story. You relive this story in your imagination and pay attention to how you feel about what is happening in the story. You pay attention to what things the Lord brings to your thoughts and imagination. Then ask the Lord what He is trying to show you through all of this. It is a powerful exercise to help make the Bible incredibly real. David Benner in Surrender to Love, also talks about a similar exercise. His book is so very powerful.
These are just a few ways to get started in silence. As you journey on Richard Rohr has a few more ideas in his books, as does Terry Wardle. Terry Wardle also has some great seminars as you go along this journey of following stillness and gaining a deeper knowing God. Another great book would be Sacred Rhythms by Ruth Haley Barton. You can find many more books that will help you grow deeper in your practice of silence. Don't become overwhelmed, pick one practice and start. These above are easy ways to begin, but if you need more information, feel free to ask questions. And because these practices grow as you do, they never become old or boring!
Here's one more reason to begin your practice of silence. Mediation is shown to increase dopamine. Psycologytoday.com defines
dopamine as a neurotransmitter that helps control the brain's reward and
pleasure centers. Dopamine
also helps regulate movement and emotional responses, and it enables us
not only to see rewards, but to take action to move toward them. Dopamine is also released through exercise. It's also released through certain addictions. I will however leave those for you to research yourself. But how amazing that God uses something He asks us to do anyway to be able to release such a powerful substance in our bodies in a positive way!
If as you try to journey along with Silence you find yourself stuck or unable to move forward, feel free to contact me. I meet with individuals who desire to find deeper connection with God in the circumstances in life, but things seem stuck or painful or maybe something just doesn't seem right. Feel free to contact me if you are interested in an appointment or just to see if Inner Healing is a fit for what you are needing right now.
