Learning to Be Still with God

Learning to Be Still with God Psalm 46:10 “He says, 'Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” This is no small feat.  “Be still and know that I am God.”  How difficult is it to be still?  I can’t be the only person who struggles to just be still.  It seems like everything I listen to is talking about how important mediation is.  How much better you will feel if you meditate each morning before starting your day.  Have any of you tried this?  Have you ever just tried to sit there and not think of anything?  When I do this, I feel like my brain is a two-year-old child.  You know how you tell a child to do something, and they want to do anything other than that thing?  That is what my brain is like.  When I tell my brain that we are going to be still and not think of anything, it wants to do everything but that.   I will start to think of things I never thought of.  My brain will start making a grocery list, it will recite a song I haven’t heard in 20 years, and question why I said that thing to that person three weeks ago.  It does everything except be quiet and not think of anything.  Has that ever happened to you?  Have you ever tried to quiet your mind and just sit with the Lord? The other day, at a discernment meeting, we were reviewing the words from our prayer group.  At least three separate words were given that talked about how important it is to just sit and be silent with the Lord.  That meeting was on a Wednesday, and now this verse comes up: “Be still and know that I am God.”  I think God wants me to talk about being still.  I think He really wants us to get the message.   Here is one of the words that was given at the prayer group. “My children, take time to listen to me.  Listen deeply, it is my time.  When you listen, I can help you, I can heal you.  I can enrich you through my presence.  But it is in silence that I speak to you in a new and better way.  But you must take the time, ever take the time to listen to my words, to let them absorb deeply, absorb them deeply into your being so that you will know how to proceed, so that you may know how to act upon the words that I tell you.  Be joyful that I speak to you.  Take the time to listen.”   Did you catch that?  God is telling us that when we take the time to listen to Him, He can help, heal, and enrich us.  How much do we need healing?  I feel like the whole world needs healing right now.  How great would it be for God to enrich us?  Could you use a little enrichment in your life?  I wonder how many of us take the time to listen?  How many of us set aside a part of our days to just sit and listen?  God says that it is in this silence that he talks to us in a new and better way.  How great would that be?  I am definitely on board for having my Heavenly Father talk to me in a new and better way.  I want to hear what He says and absorb His words deeply.  Who wouldn’t want God’s words to direct their way?   Who wouldn’t want Him to help them know how to act? All of that sounds amazing.  Then I remember that I struggle to sit and be quiet.  God is asking us to listen, but what do we do when we can’t listen, when we can’t seem to quiet our minds? Then what do we do?  Do we miss out on all God has to say?  Do we miss out on his direction?  If He comes to us in the silence and heals us, then what happens when we don’t make the time to be silent?  As I said earlier, this same word was given in at least three different ways in this one month.  I have no doubt that God can heal us anytime, anywhere.  He doesn’t need anything from us to do His thing.  And yet, He took the time to give this message three different times.  I don’t think He would have done this if it was not important.  So, what can we do with this message?   I think it is important to learn to be silent and to listen for His Word.  If your Heavenly Father tells you to do something, you do it.  Doing new things is hard.  Developing new habits is hard, and yet they are always worth it in the end.  There are many ways that you can learn to be silent and listen to the Lord.  I talked about one already.  You can sit still and try to clear your mind.  When something comes up that distracts you, just acknowledge it and try to clear your mind again.  You could start small.  Maybe just take 5 minutes a day and sit in silence.  You don’t have to do anything.  It sounds like God just wants you to be available.   I think I get stuck because I am sitting there trying to quiet my mind and expecting to hear God’s voice.  That is not really how it works, or at least hasn’t worked that way for me.  It’s not usually a voice its usually a thought that comes into my mind.   For instance, at the prayer group, I will tell the Lord that I am available if He wants to share anything with me.  Then a thought will come into my mind, and I will share it.  I don’t question it. I told the Lord I was available, and so I trust that what comes to mind is something He wants shared.   Another way you could be silent and listen for God’s word is to ask the Lord to speak through your pen, then sit quietly and write down whatever thoughts come to mind.  This is a particularly good way to quiet your mind and listen when you struggle to just sit still.  This helps keep you from distractions a little more because you are busy writing whatever comes to mind.  When I do this, I do not question what I am thinking; I just write it all down.  Again, I have asked God to talk through my pen, and I trust He is doing just that.   A really powerful way to sit with the Lord and quiet your mind is to go to Eucharistic Adoration.  This is when you are sitting in the presence of the Lord and quieting your mind.  If you have not tried this before, I suggest you give it a try.  It is such an amazing feeling.  Another helpful thing when you are trying to learn to quiet your mind and listen is to enter it with fewer expectations.  The only expectation necessary is that God will show up.  The rest of our expectations can actually get in the way of our experience.  If we expect that we will hear God’s voice, that He will speak to us in our thoughts, or that we will feel His presence, we may be disappointed.  God said that it is in the silence that He heals us.  This can be physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, or other forms of healing.  He also said He speaks to us in a new and better way.   Sometimes you may take the time to listen, and you don’t feel anything happen.  You don’t hear any words, get any new thoughts, or feel any healing.  You feel exactly the same as you did before you sat still with the Lord for 5 minutes.  This is totally normal.  Please don’t worry that you did something wrong.  Trust that if you gave God the time, He showed up and did His thing.  The more you take the time to show up for God and quiet your mind, the more He will show up in that time.  You won’t always feel it when He is healing you.  He may not always have something to say, but the more you practice listening, the better you will become at hearing Him.  Can you take 5 minutes today and quiet your mind and give God the space He wants to enter in and heal you? Dear Heavenly Father, I ask that you bless all those listening to this episode today.  We ask that you help us to quiet our minds and listen to you, Lord.  We ask that you help us figure out how to make you a priority.  Help us set aside some time every day to quietly listen to you.  Help us to give you that time in silence so that you can enter in and heal us, oh Lord.  Lord Jesus, you are so amazing, and we are so grateful for all that you do.  We love you so much, and we ask all of this in accordance with your will and in Jesus’ holy name, Amen! Thank you so much for joining me on this journey to walk boldly with Jesus. If you know someone who feels far from God or unsure where to start, this episode might be exactly what they need. Take a moment and share it with them. I look forward to meeting with you again tomorrow. Remember, Jesus loves you just as you are, and so do I! Have a blessed day! Today’s Word from the Lord was received in October 2025 by a member of my Catholic Charismatic Prayer Group. If you have any questions about the prayer group, these words, or how to join us for a meeting, please email [email protected]. Today’s Word from the Lord is, “I took each of you to the cross with me. Your sins were vanquished on that day. Each of you are my pride and my joy.” www.findingtruenorthcoaching.comCLICK HERE TO DONATECLICK HERE to sign up for Mentoring CLICK HERE to sign up for Daily "Word from the Lord" emailsCLICK HERE to sign up for my newsletter & receive a free audio training about inviting Jesus into your daily lifeCLICK HERE to buy my book Total Trust in God's Safe Embrace