How to Be Still Before God When Your Mind Is Racing
After a few dry days, the rain returned this morning. Torrents fell in silver swaths that drowned out the melody of birdsong and swept us into the synchronous song of the sky. I sat by the window and let the crackling hush of falling water wash over me as I resisted the urge to begin the work of the day. It felt like an invitation to learn how to be still before God all over again.
Being still before God has never come easily for me.
I find a quiet place to sit, and within three minutes, I’m writing my grocery list or planning dinner.
Perhaps you know how it feels to settle into your quiet spot only to find yourself scrolling through Instagram within five minutes.
Your mind refuses to rest, and being still feels impossible.
A few years ago, I studied Psalm 46:10 and unpacked Truth which has helped me learn how to be still before God.
Psalm 46:10 reads, “Be still, and know that I am God.”
How to Be Still Before God
The original language offers helpful insight into God’s invitation to “be still.”
In Hebrew, the word for “be still” is raphah. Raphah is more than merely sitting down and silencing our thoughts. Raphah is an image of letting our hands drop. It can be translated as “sink” and “relax.”
I appreciate this image.
God is inviting us to let our arms relax.
He is asking us to let our arms hang loose and surrender control as we let him be God.
One of the best ways to quiet your mind is to create space where you can regularly be still and let God be God. You might think of it as your “safe space.” Your safe space might be the silence of your bedroom, a special chair, a tree in your yard, a park down the street, or the only place where moms of little ones ever find peace: locked in the bathroom.
For the next week, I encourage you to begin each day with just a few minutes spent resting in stillness with God. Let go of your cares, let your arms hang loose, and thank God for being Lord in your life. Be still, and let God love you. God is waiting to meet with you, and he wants to revive your weary soul.
Be still, and let God love you. God is waiting to meet with you, and he wants to revive your weary soul. #bestill #restwithGod Share on X
Where to Begin
Here’s what it might look like to connect with God in your safe space this week:
Begin your time by resting with the Lord and letting your thoughts settle. Literally, let your arms hang loose as you imagine God caring for you and loving you. Breathe deeply and slowly. Thank God for being sovereign over every detail of your life.
George Muller was famous for saying that the first business of each day was to make himself “happy in the Lord.”
What would it look like for you to make yourself happy in the Lord?
For me, this looks like sitting by a window and getting lost in the glory of God’s created world. Some mornings, I watch clouds pass by or admire birds at the feeder. I often read poetry, and I almost always begin the day by soaking in a Psalm before I begin my scheduled daily Bible reading.
Most importantly, I remind myself that I captivate Jesus’ heart with just one glance in his direction (see Song of Solomon 4:9).
I imagine the joy of Jesus’ countenance shining upon me as we sit together and enjoy one another.
In the same way that four-year-old Aiden often says, “I’m happy to be with you, Mom,” I tell Jesus I’m happy to be with him.
I think about the joy that fills my heart when Aiden speaks these words to me, and I soak in the joy the Lord feels when I speak these words to him. I then sit and enjoy him for a few short moments. This practice revitalizes my heart.
I encourage you to try these steps. Go to a quiet place, rest with the Lord, and tell him you’re happy to be with him. Let his joy give you strength.
More Insights on How to Be Still Before God
Here are a few more ideas to help you find stillness with God:
Take a slow walk in a peaceful place. Imagine your cares falling aside. Simply enjoy God’s presence with you.
Spend five minutes listening to worship music in a quiet place.
Take a relaxing bath and enjoy resting with the Lord while your body rests.
Find a beautiful scene and rest with God while you admire its beauty. You might sit by a body of water, watch a sunrise or sunset, or, like me, admire a tree in your backyard.
I also have a free devotional book to help you learn how to be still before God. Check it out below.
Calling All Parents and Grandparents!
As the parent of two sons and a daughter, I have a heart for helping parents develop deeper relationships with their children and with God. Our kids, ages 7, 12, and 16, share this vision. They have helped me write three family devotionals for parents or older relatives to read with the children and teens they love. I also recently released a teen devotional called Anchored, designed to help teens learn key biblical narratives and apply them to their lives. You can find these books here or read more below. 
Mother-Daughter Devotionals by a Mom and Daughter
Girl to Girl: 60 Mother-Daughter Devotions for a Closer Relationship and Deeper Faith is written for girls ages 7-12. It includes 60 devotions with Scripture, conversation starters, and a shared journaling section for moms and daughters after each devotion. I wrote this book with the help of our daughter, Bekah, when she was eleven. Find this one-of-a-kind shared devotional here.
Heart to Heart: A Mother-Daughter Devotional With 50 Devotions for Teen Girls is for teenage girls ages 13-20. It includes 50 devotions, each with a shared journaling section to help moms and daughters connect through writing. This is a great book for moms who want to communicate about awkward topics—like dating, sexuality, peer pressure, and more—but don’t know where to start. Bekah and I will help you right here.
Devotions for Boys by Boys
God’s Warrior: Devotions for Boys Who Want to Grow in Courage and Strength helps young boys, ages 5-13, learn what it means to trust God and become strong warriors for his kingdom. Now, more than ever, our world needs men who are willing to boldly carry God’s love into the world. I wrote this boys’ devotional book with our two young sons, Aiden and Caleb, ages six and eleven! You’ll enjoy their honesty as we teach boys how to be strong warriors for the Lord. Find this life-changing devotional book here.
These Books Are Free on Kindle Unlimited: God Wants to Heal, Restore, and Refresh You
God wants to work in your life to accomplish what you’ve been unable to do through willpower alone. He also wants to help you establish a rhythm of meeting with him daily as you trust him with the hard parts of your life. Click here to explore two books that will guide you: Be Still and Trust and Lean Into Grace. They are free on the Kindle Unlimited program and for sale in print.
Download Your Free Devotional Here
Set Free: Let God Do What You Cannot explores ten realms in which most of us need God to work in our lives and bring deliverance. We’ll talk about finding freedom from fear, worry, insecurity, bad habits, emotional pain, and more. This short online devotional will bless you as you let God accomplish what you’ve been unable to achieve through willpower. Get your download for free with promo code GRACE or for a donation of 3.99 here. Thank you. This small gift helps keep this ministry running.
I also offer a library of free online devotional eBooks for free. I invite you to explore the collection right here!
