The Journey Inward provides practical insights to facilitate the ability to sit still before God, using the contemplative writing of Teresa of Avila’s The Interior Castle as a framework.

Day One

Psalm 46:10: “Be still and know that I am God.”

Devotional

How do we just “be still”?

In this Psalm, the Hebrew verb for be still is rapha, which means to let go, to stop striving, to surrender everything to God and stop trying to control the world. I think this encapsulates what it means to just be. We stop, let go and sit in silence before God.

We need to foster the discipline of regularly taking ourselves to this place each day, so we can be still, and just be …

It is not something we can turn on and off like a switch. It is a discipline that takes time to develop and commitment to practice. It requires a willingness to be alone with our own thoughts, in silence. This is not a comfortable place for many of us, because our lifestyle sets us up to be busy and fill our time and mind up with something – anything. We do this out of habit.

The real question then is whether we want to go to the uncomfortable place of being alone with our inner world. The irony is that it is in this space where we will find God, and a process of personal transformation will start to unfold.

Take a moment to reflect:

Where and how do you feel most still and open to God? Is it in nature, a garden, listening to music, sitting quietly or perhaps walking?

To make the most of this devotional, listen to a ‘Journey Within a Mansion’ mindfulness exercise here.

Dr Thompson’s Christ Centred Mindfulness books – including two new mini-books Breathe and Still – are available at Koorong. Additional resources are available here.