"The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still."
Exodus 14:14
For years, I associated the word meditation with new age religion and heebie geebie stuff I did not want to expose myself to. I learned how to redefine that word that the larger culture had stolen from Christianity and saw that I needed meditation in my life as much as I needed prayer. Put simply, prayer is talking to God and meditation is listening to God.
What gets in the way of hearing God? The crazy hamster wheel inside my head of cascading thoughts. Everything from bills I have to pay to unresolved issues in relationships to what I will cook this week go round and round in my head. Especially at night when I can't sleep. Add, to that imaginary conversations I have with people or things I think other people think about me. In other words, stuff that is totally made up in my brain. My mind is far from quiet.
The process of learning to be still is different for everyone and each person has to find out what works to free then from the hamster wheel. For some people it's doing a craft like knitting or going for a walk. When I realize the hamster wheel is going a hundred miles an hour, sometimes I say the 23 psalm or the Lord's prayer until my thoughts have slowed down. I find that sitting by water, a pond, an ocean, a river also calms me down. I have also practiced counting my breathing, five breaths in through the nose and six out through the mouth. Finally, as I breath in and out I say to myself pause, pause, pause (on the inhale) and then slow down, be still (on the exhale). I say this over and over getting slower each time. I have also, closed my eyes while resting on the sofa and listened to the Bible be read aloud. For me, the hamster wheel never totally stops, but being deliberate about slowing my thoughts down has helped me feel closer to God and then when I am in middle of stress, crisis, or conflict, my responses are calmer and less reactive.
The Exodus quote above was my go-to verse in reminding me that God would do the heavy lifting if I just practiced being still.
How about you? Is there a tape you play over and over in your head? What do you do to get into a calm place where you can hear God more clearly or simply step into a deeper understanding of Him? What does your quiet place look like? Leave a comment with your email address. The winner will receive a prerelease copy of my book due out the end of May, Crime Scene Cover-Up.
Sharon Dunn
Yes! I’ve learned that I need to keep my schedule and home simple in order to create the calm that I need to keep my focus on eternal things. Clearing out the chaos of too many possessions has been a huge blessing to me! Timnmandamiller@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteYes exactly. After downsizing I am trying not to fill my life with "stuff"
DeleteYou certainly described me perfectly. Sometimes when I am laying in bed praying my brain starts it’s never ending round of everything I have gone through that day. The only thing I have found to help me is to switch my mind to all the blessings God has bestowed and start praising him.
ReplyDeleteMy quiet place? My prayer room with a hot cup of coffee or tea. Donnacayw@aol.com
ReplyDeleteexercise
ReplyDeletebn100candg at hotmail dot com
I've struggled a lot lately with feeling like I'm on a hamster wheel of thoughts ans decisions that need to be made. I almost crashed until some family members insisted I take a day to slow down and reset. I've had a harder time just sitting and meditating. Checking my breathing has helped so much. Remembering that the Lord is with me calms my heart. Rather than running to food or TV or books, I need to go to Him first. racheltirzah(at)gmail.com
ReplyDeleteWhen my husband left about a year and a half ago, I realized I had to turn it over to God which led to me realizing how much in other areas I needed to give to Him as well. I am surrounded by little ones all day and evening so getting by myself is very difficult but I find that by talking all day to God it calms me. When I do have a few minutes, my prayer area is my side of the bed. I've always enjoyed sitting there to read and so it's wonderful for praying as well.
ReplyDeletedehnernicole(at)gmail.com
I walk - it's calming for me.
ReplyDeletemarypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com
Keeping my home organized and working in my yard and gardens are my time to concentrate on God. My mind goes 90 MPH if my hands aren’t busy.leliamae54(at)aol(dot)com
ReplyDeleteI learned to breathe deeply, study scriptures and pray to keep calm! sheliarha64(at)yahoo(dot)com
ReplyDeleteI find taking time (daily and early in the morning) to just sit and do a Bible devotional with the Lord is what makes a difference in the day. This way we learn to trust Him more, and let Him "take care" of "stuff," of various kinds of stress in ministry and daily living. Thanks for your prayers for us! Appreciate the opportunity to enter a giveaway! I really enjoy reading CF print books and would love to win a print copy! Lual Krautter, pastor's wife in rural Montana. Email: krautter62520AToutlookDOTcom
ReplyDeleteMy morning starts with coffee, reading a portion of the current devotional I'm using and then a chapter of the Bible. It's not always easy to stay focused, though. There have been times when I speak or pray Scripture out loud to purposely center my attention on the Lord. I've also had times when I sing a song repeatedly as it puts me in a worshipful frame of mind. Thank you for the chance to win a book. Boxtopscrazy at gmail dot com.
ReplyDeleteI joke and say I have this syndrome called, "This will only take a minute" & go do something & 3 minutes later hear the beep of my microwave... I read my Bible & devotional books while eating breakfast; I pray in my bedroom, and try to focus on the names in my prayer journal. Badawson16 at aol dot com
ReplyDeleteI'm not good at being calm since I have anxiety. I like to color, read, or watch a DVD.
ReplyDeleteSweetpeafluffy(at)gmail(dot)com
Thanks to everyone who left a comment. I read them all. Some great ideas for quieting the mind so we can hear God better.
ReplyDelete