Practise Being Still

How often do I complain that I don’t hear from God, but I am not actually really listening? I am not quieting my mind, putting aside all distractions, and just waiting on him. The phrase “be still” comes from the Hebrew word Rapha. It means to be weak, to let go, to release. Am I letting go of everything and trusting it to God? Am I releasing everything that is weighing me down and just waiting on him?

We live in a constantly connected world. It’s not a bad thing necessarily, but I think we have lost the art of being still. I catch myself sitting on the couch at night watching TV and scrolling my phone. We live in a culture where we feel guilty for just being, we often feel like we should be doing. Even when I am taking some downtime, my mind is busy.

One of the definitions of the noun form of still is deep silence and calm. One of the places that I can find it is the beach. It’s where all the competing noises are gone and I can just breathe. There is no chaos, no to-do list, no deadline. I am trying to be intentional about taking time in the stillness, even if it is only five minutes. Do you have a place that you can practice stillness?