Do you ever struggle to be still, and to free your mind from distraction so you can focus and be quiet in God’s presence?
I’ll be the first admit this is hard.
I don’t know about you, but it’s so easy for me to sit down and start praying or to start worshiping God or praising Him, and after about 15 seconds I get distracted by my grocery list, or I think, “Oh, I forgot to switch the laundry to the dryer.” So often, our minds are just going nonstop.
But God calls us to be quiet. He calls us to be still in His presence. He wants us to clear out the noise and to just be with Him.
Even though it’s hard, it’s so important for us to learn how to be still, to quiet our minds and our hearts and our souls to receive the peace that God has to give us through prayer and His Word.
How do we do that?
In today’s video, I’m sharing a practical spiritual exercise that Richard Foster explains in his book, Celebration of Discipline.
It’s something that people have been practicing for hundreds of years. It’s super helpful and it’s so easy. You can do it anywhere, anytime. Are you ready?
It’s called Palms Down, Palms Up.
When you want to quiet your surroundings so you can spend time with Jesus instead of being distracted by everything else, this technique is for you.
Your Next Steps:
Start with your palms down. Identify whatever is distracting you and give it to God.
Pretend you have something in your hands and you put it in God’s hands. You release it. You just put your palms down and leave it there.
Let Him take it from you, then turn your palms up and receive what God has for you as you remain still.
Spend a few moments just being quiet with the Lord, receiving what He has to give you, just being with Him.
If something comes up in your mind during this moment of silence, go back to palms down and tell Him about it.
Work your way up to spending a minute in silence in His presence, then five minutes just being still, communing with God.
Scriptures to Read:
Psalm 46:10
Recommended Resources:
Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth, by Richard Foster
Prayers of REST Podcast and Journal
Quiet Time for Busy Women: 6 Weeks to Becoming Consistent in Your Daily Devotions
Walking with God: Enjoying God’s Presence from Morning to Night