Be still, and know that I am God;
Psalm 46:10
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!
“Be still and know that I am God”.
This is literally an exercise in sitting down and meditating. Be still and think about God.
It is reported in this book that most people report having to sit alone with their thoughts as an uncomfortable experience. I could certainly relate to that at different points in my life. But imagine being so uncomfortable with yourself and your own thoughts that you cannot be still.
Most people prove this hypothesis based on simple observation. What do people do the second they have a moment of downtime? They whip out their phone and start scrolling. Most people cannot sit with their own thoughts for more than fifteen seconds. It is just too much for them to deal with.
But the biblical model is one of stillness. There are moments in time when we need to be able to sit down, be still and recognize the power of God in this universe. This form of meditation is a biblical exercise.
So what we must do is figure out how to sit down, learn to be comfortable with our thoughts, and remember God. We also must not get discouraged when we find it extraordinarily hard to just sit down and be still. This stillness is a new skill for many of us. And it is understandable that we would have difficulty for us. Learning to be still is similar to learning to walk for the first time again. And all kinds of thoughts and fears are going to bubble up when we try to sit there and be still.
In fact, that is what we are trying to avoid, aren’t we? We are uncomfortable with our own thoughts so we treat them with the toxic medication of distraction.
We have to slowly build up a tolerance to the uncomfortable nature of our thoughts until they become more comfortable.
What are we trying to avoid? Usually, it is the difficult questions of life. And it is easier to place our thoughts somewhere else. Instead of thinking about death and mortality, the nature of God, and the nature of the impending judgment, we choose to watch the lives of others or sedate ourselves with entertainment. We cannot blame ourselves for that, it is simply natural as pain-avoidant beings. But that is no excuse to remain in that state.
We have to exercise and learn to increase our ability to endure sitting alone with our own thoughts. Perhaps that is with traditional meditation, perhaps that is with a mindfulness meditation on the power of God. There is no limit on the number of exercises that can be done. But the fact remains that some exercise must be done.
Start by sitting still for just one minute.
If you cannot sit still for 60 seconds, just reduce the amount of time spent. Try to spend more than 15 seconds though. Spend at least that much time daily concentrating on the power of God while being still. Then try to build it up on a regular basis.
Once you consistently reach 7 days in a row of meditation, add 5 seconds. That might not seem like much to add, but you need to develop consistency with the practice, do not try to overdo it. Once you complete another 7 days with 20 seconds of meditation, add another 5 seconds. Slow progress is infinitely better than no progress.
Incorporate this into your daily routine and learn to be still.
Learn Rapidly with a peaceful mind
