Have you ever thought that something is missing in your prayer-life? The Psalmist passes on a directive from the Lord when he writes, “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10a). We are rarely still. If we aren’t doing something physical, our eyes are glued to something on one of the many video screens available. This is about practicing personal stillness. This is a call for inner quietude and surrender. This is a directive to stop everything and do nothing. I have a place in my church where I will go and sit with no phone, no Bible, no music, no notebook – with nothing to distract me from stillness. For a few minutes, I just practice “being with God.” It is not a time to pray or praise or meditate – just be with Him. Sit with Him for a few minutes. The word “still” comes from the Hebrew word “rapa,” meaning “to slacken, let down, or cease.” It is a call for combatants to stop fighting – stop striving – put down your weapons – sit down and be still. But it is stillness with a purpose – “…and know that I am God.” The word “know “(Hebrew: yada), simply means (1) to know by observing and reflecting, and (2) to know by experiencing. It is not just a cognitive exercise; “yada” also assumes that the “Knower has actual involvement with or in the object of the knowing.” It is both a relational and revelational word. It begins with learning to be still. Another part of being still is to BE QUIET (listen). The weakest link in our communication chain is our inability to listen. Just like we need to learn to be still, we also need to learn to be quiet. Not just vocally, but internally quiet also. We must quiet the voice in our head that is clamoring for airtime. At the same time, we must recognize that there is a difference in listening and listening to “hear.” How often do we hear the scripture say, “He who hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit is saying?” James calls us to listen carefully: “Understand this, my beloved brothers and sisters. Let everyone be quick to hear [be a careful, thoughtful listener], slow to speak [a speaker of carefully chosen words and], slow to anger [patient, reflective, forgiving]” (James 1:18 AMP). A commitment to hearing the Holy Spirit involves training myself to listen. There are enemies that wage war against this. Two such enemies are: (1) DISTRACTIONS: Modern life is filled with noise—both external and internal. If we are not careful, our cellphone will dominate our lives. It very possibly is already. Learning to quiet the mind and heart is a discipline cultivated over time; and (2) IMPATIENCE: We have way too much to do (or at least we think we do). But the Holy Spirit does not operate on human timetables. Sometimes He expects us to quietly wait for Him to speak.
