Tag Archives: be still

August 21, 2025 · 5:30 AM

Being Quiet

I’ve noticed that when people are nervous, there are those who get real quiet and those who ramble on. I find myself in the later group a lot of times. For me, talking helps me to figure out what I’m thinking and how I’m feeling. It helps me to sort out the problem, but it also keeps me from listening to good advice and can make others around me more nervous. I was once told, “You have two ears and one mouth. You need to listen twice as much as you speak.” That’s something I have to remind myself of quite often.

When it comes to prayer, I can find myself in the same boat. From the time we are young, we learn that prayer is talking to God. What we’re not taught is that it’s listening to God as well. I think God talks as much or more than we do, but we can’t hear Him over our own talking. Being quiet in the presence of the Lord requires discipline. You have to learn to shut down your mouth and your mind. The silence can be deafening at times, but it’s in those moments where we hear God the loudest.

Psalm 37:7 says, “Quiet your heart in his presence and pray; keep hope alive as you long for God to come through for you” (TPT). Many times there is a nervousness that God may not answer our greatest need. If you’re a talker, quiet your mouth. If you’re the quiet type, silence your mind. God doesn’t answer our prayers on our timetable. If we’re listening to what He says, and trust that what He does is always right and for our good, we can have hope in any situation. God is good all the time, and He sees beyond our most pressing need at the moment. Get quiet and still in His presence today, listen for His voice and give Him freedom to answer His way instead of yours.

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Throwback Thursday is a feature I’m using to help build some margin into my schedule to pursue other ventures. Each Thursday I’ll be bringing you a previously written devotional that still speaks encouragement to us from God’s Word.

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December 11, 2024 · 5:38 AM

Quieting The Noise

There was a time in my life when every time I got in the car, I would call someone. As soon as I got home, I would turn on the TV. I wouldn’t necessarily watch it most of the time though. Then one day my wife asked me why I did that every time. I didn’t have an answer for her, but it got me to thinking about it. I was addicted to living my life with background noise. I didn’t want to be alone with my thoughts. I then decided to make a conscious choice not to call someone every time I turned on the car. I even started turning off the radio so I could ride in silence. What I discovered was the noise wasn’t just keeping me from being alone with my thoughts, it was also blocking me from hearing the voice of God.

As you read through the Gospels, you’ll find that Jesus was surrounded by noise. The disciples always had questions about what He taught. People would follow Him everywhere wanting to hear His message or needing His healing touch. Luke 5:16 mentions that Jesus would often go away from everything into the lonely places. In Mark 6:31, Jesus invited the disciples to go with Him into a quiet place. Jesus even practiced solitude as shown in Mark 1:35. Why did He make quieting the noise a discipline? He knew He needed to hear His Father’s voice and to we needed a model to show us how to be alone, to be quiet and to be stop and wait on God.

Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world” (NLT). When is the last time you quieted the noise around you, found solitude and got still? Our breakthrough is often found in those moments. It’s why Jesus told us to go into our prayer closet. Our lives are filled with noise, and that noise is available everywhere we go. I believe God is asking us to find a lonely place, to seek solitude and to be still so we can hear His voice and honor Him. Take time today to think about where your noise is coming from. What do you need to do to quiet it? Where do you need to go to be still? God is waiting for you if only you would be intentional about quieting the noise.

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Stop. Breathe. Pray.

I, like you, have a pretty busy day and week ahead of me. From the moment I woke up I started thinking of all the things I need to do to accomplish everything today. My mind races to find solutions to scheduling conflicts, deadlines, and how to be in two places at once. I’ve got a to-do list a mile long and a very short time to accomplish it. With all of that happening, do I have time for God?

It’s tough not to put God on a back burner on busy days. He’s the easiest one to “reschedule”, but He’s the last one I need to reschedule. “He’ll understand”, I reason in my mind. “I’ll read my Bible and pray later,” I tell myself. The truth is that I won’t have the time later either. If I don’t make Him a priority right now, I won’t make Him one later. If I don’t slow down now and take time to reflect on Him and His Word, I won’t do it.

God told David in Psalm 46:10, “Be still and know that I am God.” David was a king and I’m sure he had a lot on his plate too. He would cry out to God in times of need and celebration. He would throw those 911 prayers up to Heaven like you and I often do. “God, I have a lot to do today. Help me to get it all done”, is what we pray. God wants more than that. He wants us to stop, take a moment and spend some time with Him.

In the world we live in, it’s easy to mix up the temporary with the eternal. It’s easy to reverse their importance. Today, stop, breathe, meditate on His Word, and thank Him. Rest in His arms before you do anything else. Give Him more than a 911 prayer and truly thank Him for another day of life. Thank Him that you even have things on your schedule. Know that He is God and really that’s what matters more than anything else I’ll accomplish today.

Photo by Bethany Legg on Unsplash

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August 10, 2021 · 5:30 AM

Listening To God’s Voice

One of my daily prayers is, “Lord, help us to hear your voice more clearly, and give us the courage to do what you say.” That prayer prompted my son to say, “I’ve never heard God’s voice before. Is He speaking?” I told him that God is always speaking. It’s up to us to find a quiet place and listen. I then explained that God rarely speaks to us audibly. He usually speaks to us through the Bible or He whispers in our heart.

One of the times God spoke audibly was in 1 Samuel 3. Samuel was just a boy and lived in the Temple with Eli the priest. In the middle of the night, God called to Samuel. He thought Eli had called him, so he went into the room where Eli was sleeping to ask what he wanted. Eli told him that he hadn’t called him and sent him back to bed. This happened three times before Eli figured out what was going on. He then sent him back with instructions should he hear the voice again.

Verse 10 says, “And the Lord came and called as before, ‘Samuel! Samuel!’ And Samuel replied, ‘Speak, your servant is listening.’” As I told my son, I believe that God is always speaking to us. It’s up to each one of us to listen. Just like you have to learn to actively listen to someone, we have to purposefully listen for God’s voice. When you open the Bible, pray, “Speak, your servant is listening.” Do it when you pray as well, then give God Time to speak.

We live in such a busy world that we rarely take the time to slow down and listen. The same voice that spoke billions of galaxies into existence wants to speak to you today. Any relationship requires two way communication. God isn’t looking for someone who will just follow a bunch of rules. He’s looking for someone to speak with. That’s why Christianity isn’t about a bunch of regulations, even though we’ve made it that. It’s about having a relationship. All relationships rise and fall on communication. Yours and God’s is no different.

Photo by Adismara Putri Pradiri on Unsplash

I’m enjoying one more day of rest today. I hope you enjoyed this devotional I wrote previously. I’ll return with a new devotional tomorrow.

Full Speed

My son is every bit of six years old. He runs through the house at full speed, laughs so hard he can’t hear anything and has to do everything himself. There are many times when I’m trying to give him instructions, but he keeps going. I yell his name to get his attention, but he keeps going. I’ve tried with everything in me to get him to hear me, but often I get no response while he’s moving around. It’s not until I have to get up, go over to him and get in his space that he hears me or realizes I’m trying to give him instruction.

I know he probably gets that from me, and as I think about it, I wonder how often that describes me today. How often is God trying to get my attention, screaming my name, but I can’t hear Him because of my busyness? I’ve got a lost of things to do, my mind is racing with ideas of what’s next and I’m halfway looking where I’m going. I don’t stop until God gets in my space and says, “Hey! I’m trying to talk to you. I’ve been trying to get your attention, but you won’t stop and listen.”

In those moments, I wonder how long He had been trying to get my attention. I have to think back, replay the last little bit and see all the ways He was trying to get my attention. I then seek forgiveness for being to busy to hear Him and renew my commitment to slow down. That’s when I’m reminded of Psalm 46:10. It says, “Be still, and know that I am God!” (NLT) I think the Psalmist was a lot like me and that was his message from God that goes out to all of us who run full speed all the time.

I’ve learned that God cares less about my busyness and more about my ability to stop and listen. I’m learning from my son that when I’m running around, I can’t hear what’s being said. I can’t focus on what I’m supposed to. How many mishaps could have been prevented? How many blessings have I missed out on because I was too busy to hear Him? If you’re like me, let me encourage you to take time to stop today and listen. Chances are that God is calling your name and is trying to get your attention.

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July 22, 2016 · 5:00 AM

Stillness And Reflection

My friend Michael wrote an interesting article on his blog called “How To Start A Revival“. In it, he describes how our modern, technology driven world has robbed us of the age old discipline of uninterrupted thinking. He wrote, “We live in a culture immune to stillness and reflection.” He described how we as Christians are often plagued by this in our prayer life. We can’t sit through a time of prayer without thinking about what’s on social media, the news, apps, or our to-do lists.

As I read this article, I couldn’t help but think of how I, and so many others, have become distracted to the point that we can’t hardly give God five uninterrupted minutes of prayer, meditation, or deep thought. I believe we are seeing the ripple effect in the culture of the Church, and that has a ripple affect on our world. If we truly want to experience the depths of God, we are going to have to think deeply with Him, and that requires stillness and reflection.

Here are some examples and verses in the Bible about stillness and reflection.

1. I reflect at night on who you are, O LORD; therefore, I obey your instructions.
Psalms 119:55 NLT

2. Hear this, O Job; stand still and consider the wondrous works of God.
Job 37:14 AMP

3. Instead, I am content and at peace. As a child lies quietly in its mother’s arms, so my heart is quiet within me.
Psalm 131:2 GNT

4. I’m asking GOD for one thing, only one thing: To live with him in his house my whole life long. I’ll contemplate his beauty; I’ll study at his feet. That’s the only quiet, secure place in a noisy world, The perfect getaway, far from the buzz of traffic.

Psalm 27:4-5 MSG

5. Help me understand the meaning of your commandments, and I will meditate on your wonderful deeds.
Psalms 119:27 NLT

6. This Book of the Law shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, that you may observe and do according to all that is written in it. For then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall deal wisely and have good success.
Joshua 1:8 AMP

7. I will remember your great deeds, Lord; I will recall the wonders you did in the past. I will think about all that you have done; I will meditate on all your mighty acts.
Psalm 77:11-12 GNT

8. Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world.

Psalms 46:10 NLT

9. BLESSED (HAPPY, fortunate, prosperous, and enviable) is the man who walks and lives not in the counsel of the ungodly [following their advice, their plans and purposes], nor stands [submissive and inactive] in the path where sinners walk, nor sits down [to relax and rest] where the scornful [and the mockers] gather. But his delight and desire are in the law of the Lord, and on His law (the precepts, the instructions, the teachings of God) he habitually meditates (ponders and studies) by day and by night.
Psalm 1:1-2 AMP

10. How amazing are the deeds of the LORD! All who delight in him should ponder them.
Psalms 111:2 NLT

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