Be. Still.

Fil Anderson | March 6, 2022

We hope this guide will help you take the good news you hear today into your daily lives.

Series Overview: We live busy and distracted lives, and it’s easy to allow our relationship with God to become just another task on our to-do list. If we are to truly experience a life overflowing with the presence of God, we must silence the noise in our lives and Be.

Notes and Scripture

Psalm 46: 1-10

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.

Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.

There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day.

Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts.

The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Come and see what the Lord has done, the desolations he has brought on the earth. He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth. He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire.

He says, "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."

Mark 1:35; Galatians 1:13, 16-17

"Without solitude, it is virtually impossible to live a spiritual life...We do not take the spiritual life seriously if we do not set aside time to be with God and listen to Him." - Henri Nouwen

Going Deeper: Breath Prayer

Practice: Take some time this week to slow down and be still. Find a quiet spot and close your eyes, breathing slowly and deeply several times. After some time, try this “breath prayer,” slowing focusing on these words from Psalm 46:10 in the following way:

 Be still and know that I am God.

Be still and know that I am.

Be still and know.

Be still.

Be.

 This simple prayer can be repeated as many times as you like, followed by periods of silence.

Reflect: What does “being still” look like in your life today? How can you integrate the practice of silence and solitude into your daily life?

 Fil said that God adds ballast into our lives through the practice of being still, preparing us to remain rooted in God as our refuge in the midst of life’s challenges. Sit with this thought a while. Could you use more ballast? If you struggle with silence and solitude, ask for God’s help.

Remember these words of encouragement:

1. Start where you are.

2. Remember: you can't succeed or fail.

3. Your gift to God is showing up and doing your best to be still.