Silence and stillness don’t come naturally and waiting feels almost impossible. I’m impatient by nature. The Psalmist David wrote, “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him.” (Psalm 37:7) This is a hard one for me because when I’m waiting, I find myself wanting to offer the Lord solutions and action plans…..you know, options. Instead, He calls me to quiet my mind and heart before Him and to find rest and renewal in the truth that He is in control.

Unfortunately, sometimes I come into His presence with all the answers. I pray, but actually, I’m telling the Lord what to do and suggesting a course of action. The more I try to come up with solutions and options, the less I can hear the quiet whisper of His Spirit. In the end, I feel more stressed and overwhelmed than before. I leave His presence wondering why my prayers “didn’t work.” The real problem is not the Lord. It’s that I’ve run my prayer time like a buisness meeting.

Our time in prayer isn’t suppowed to be like a buisness meeting where we come with an agenda and action steps. It is supposed to be time to refill our lives with His presence and a time to exchange our will for His. It’s not that we can’t present our requests……we can, but then we need to become quiet enough to hear His answer.

Author, Sarah Young writes in her book Jesus Calling, “Bring me your mind for rest and renewal. Let me infuse My presence into your thoughts. As your mind stops racing, your body relaxws and you regain awareness of Me. This awareness is vital to yoru spiritual well-being ; it is your lifeline, spiritually speaking.”

Peace comes when we exchange our frantic thoughts for His gentle wisdom. Today, as you spend time praying, take some moments to simply be quiet and listen. See what He says……..

If you’re having trouble being still check out these verses:

Psalm 46:10 , Psalm 63, Psalm 48:9