Stillness is not easy for everyone. You might be energetic, easily distracted, or one with many demands on your time. Sitting in one place can be a difficult discipline, but it is doable and rewarding when you spend that stillness with the Lord. Believers have a helper - the Holy Spirit, there to equip us for prayer and rest before the Lord. Here are five prayers derived from scripture that remind us to have the confidence to be still with God.
1. Be Still and Know
“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
Father,
Forgive us for thinking that we have to keep running around, busy and worn out, to try and make everything work out in our lives, to try and control every situation. The Psalmist reminds us that you are omnipotent and that stillness before you is a sign that we understand who you are: Sovereign over everything, including the circumstances in our lives, big and small. Our busyness is futile if, by it, we think we can get ahead of you. Forgive us, Lord.
Thank you, Father, for reminding us through your Word that one way to glorify and praise you is to also trust you with our rest. Help us to make quietness a part of our worship every day. Stop our tongues and our minds from racing with questions, and fill us with certainty that you WILL be exalted. Help us say with Paul,
“At the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” - Philippians 2:10-11
We can be still, and this will still happen because YOU will make it so.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen.
2. Still Like Jesus
“He would withdraw to desolate places and pray.” - Luke 5:16
Lord,
It is difficult to imagine Jesus getting away from the crowds that followed him all the time. He healed, counseled, and taught and did not turn people away, so what took him to find a quiet place? Jesus perhaps rose earlier than everyone else to secure a special, solitary place. He prioritized the Father’s will, even though Jesus is One with God. If even HE needed that time, how much more do WE? Remind us, Father, to start the day in your presence, not out of duty but out of love, and to make time.
We struggle to give up that extra hour of sleep in the morning, which might be what it takes to gain time for undistracted prayer. We love our sleep - do we love you more? But we also need a special place to go, so help us work this out; find a room, a quiet corner, indoors or outdoors. And if there is no space, build that buffer or peace around us. Help us not to take it for granted, especially since YOU - ruler over everything - make time to meet us there.
Father, our hearts and minds are weak and easily distracted by earthly things like a comfortable bed. Help us become disciplined in this way, and then fill us with joy as we enter your presence before the day begins. We might grumble at first but transform our hearts to long for this opportunity so that yawns give way to words of praise and thanks.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen.
3. Unashamed of Rest
“Mary who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving”. - Luke 10:39-40
Oh God,
How often do I think it is laziness to just sit with you? To simply listen for your voice? I often believe the lie that I’m supposed to always be engaged in three things at once. You want our undivided attention, yet it seems so wrong to sit still. Every Martha in our lives and within us chastises us, or that is what we think, but there is no shame in resting. Please help us to be like Mary and put you ahead of the dishes, the paperwork, the lawn that needs to be mowed, and the countless other chores. Even really important work can wait and always be there; the work never goes away.
But what is the meaning and purpose of it all if I do not have you, Lord? You bestow reason, order, and meaning upon every aspect of my life. Help me never to let “work” rule me.
We need to remember your power and status: you are King. Why should we be afraid of anyone else’s judgment? You had work to do, but that never stopped you from kneeling before the Father. Everyone and everything else can wait. Jesus called Mary’s time with him “the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.” (v.42). He calls it good - why should I think otherwise?
In Jesus' Name,
Amen.
4. The Still Small Voice
“After the fire the sound of a low whisper." - 1 Kings 19:12
Father,
Elijah listened for your voice, and when he heard it, that voice was a surprising whisper in the stillness. I think of you as thunder, heavy rain, and something enormous and even scary. You certainly are to be feared and revered, but you are also tender and close. What if I am so busy listening to the sound of your booming voice, waiting for that giant rumble, that I do not hear your soft whisper? This is dangerous if I fail to seek quiet time with you, Lord, and instead whip up tumult.
Give me discernment to know which Words are yours and to stop expecting you to yell at me. I am accustomed to thinking of a parent as one who might yell sometimes, and I have certainly raised my voice to assert my authority - forgive me, Lord. In your tenderness and gentleness, you never want to overwhelm or hurt us. At times, all we can really handle is that whisper. Anything more might destroy us when we are brittle. But to hear, I have to be still. I need to listen. That means following the wisdom of the Psalmist, following Mary’s example, and doing as Jesus did. You are not going to bully me into stillness, but instead, you invite me to make a choice. Praise you, Father, for the invitation.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen.
5. Give Us Patience
“Be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand." - James 5:8
Lord, my God, I find my patience lacking. I want to follow the examples set above, but it seems like an impossible task. Sometimes, I cannot hear you, no matter how still I am or how early I get up in the morning, even if I find a private place to pray without interruptions.
I maintain the habit of rising early and finding solitude, but if it seems you are completely silent, I fill the stillness with more work. I listen to my own voice circling the same topics. You are silent, and I grow weary. Father, help me to wait patiently and stop expecting you to speak in a new and special way just for me. After all, you have already spoken amply, and your Word has not changed.
Patience is a sign of growing in spiritual maturity - am I still a child? Oh, Father, comfort me and speak the truth against the great liar who wants to tell me that you are angry with me and, therefore, giving me the silent treatment. Speak truth against my distorted notion that you are not good because you do not appear to answer. Lord, take me again to Scripture, where you always speak and guard my heart against always wanting some kind of sign. Jesus lamented,
“Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.” - John 4:48
But your death and resurrection are all I need. Your Word is perfect and infallible - I need to trust it. And when I trust what you say, I can wait patiently.
Being still before you God comes down to trusting you. When I cannot be still, I have either lost my trust in this fact or chosen to ignore it. Convict my heart over and over, oh so tenderly. When I return to you, repentant and hungry, you have promised to forgive, nourish, and stay close. Lord, when I need this most is when I am apt to be distracted, but over and over, you bring me back to stillness. Thank you, Father, for never giving up on me. Help me to run the race with endurance and stillness.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen.
Photo Credit: Image created using DALL.E 2024 AI technology and subsequently edited and reviewed by our editorial team.
