“Be still, and know that I am God!
I will be honored by every nation.
I will be honored throughout the world.” Psalms 46:10
Today you have prayed, worshiped, captured your thoughts and given them to God. Now it is time to “Be still, and know that I am God!”
This period of the day is your opportunity to know that He is God and to hear from Him, to calm your mind, body and spirit — to just be. If you are constantly talking and doing when will you have the opportunity to listen and hear from God? You must take time each day to allow yourself to be still and quiet to be able to hear the still small voice.
If you are one of those, people like me, who must know the whys of everything, Eckhart Tolle The Power of Now is essential reading. It explains what “now” is and does. But until you do, let’s get on with your day. I will break it down in a shorter way. This is how I look at it in practical application.
How to summary:
- Set your timer for 5 minutes and work your way up to 20 minutes
- Sit in a comfortable position with your eyes closed
- Breathe in for 5 counts and out for 5 counts.
- Focus on God in the now, the CrunchTime
- To understand when now is think of the moment a kernel of popcorn pops. Stay focused on the present moment.
- Feel how alive you and your surroundings are
- Let your spirit connect with the Eternal Source of all life.
- Observe without judgement any thoughts that come to mind
- This is your opportunity to listen to God.
How to do Christian style mindful meditation:
Set a timer on your phone or tablet so that you will not be tempted to open your eyes to check the clock. Your first time it will seem like 5 minutes passed when it was only a few seconds. We are not used to sitting still and focusing. You will come to see the benefits. Each week add an extra minute or 5 until you comfortably work your way up to 20 minutes. To me 20 minutes is the sweet spot of this part of my day, just the right amount of time. You will find your own amount of time just don’t leave it at 5 minutes. You need at least 15 minutes to get past all the random thoughts and get to the listening part.
Sit comfortable with your eyes closed. Breathe in steadily for a count of 5 and out for a count of 5.
While you are breathing, focus on the present moment. I call it the CrunchTime, the time between time, immediate moment, the eternity, the now. Some eastern philosophers refer to this type of experience as mindful meditation. This is not, however, “an empty the mind out” exercise although it does have some of the same results. This is a focus on knowing that God is God and seeking Him in spirit and in truth. John wrote the words of Jesus in the Gospel of John
“For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.” John 4:24
This is a time for you to put your problems, anxieties and fears in the past and the future where they belong. Focus your mind and your minds eyes on God in the now moment.
This is being ultra-aware of the present moment without passing judgement on it, simply observing it. I believe that the closest we can get to God is in the present moment. Only then can we give up our judgements of the past worries about the future and exist with Him in the present. Here we are simply who God intended us to be, His child who He made to fellowship with Himself.
You know when you are in the now because all your senses are picking up data. You feel the breeze on you face. You can feel the fabric on your back. Your arms will start to feel light and buoyant. When a thought flies into your consciousness and it will, simply observe it like you are watching a two year old play. No need to do anything about it, just watch and observe.
This is the time when your recurring memory records will play. Maybe it is something bad or good that happened in the past that you regret or that you miss. Perhaps it is a fear about the future that you dread. People who may have died or are no longer in your life will come to mind. It is OK. Simply observe them like you are watching them. Do not get emotionally invested in the thought. Doing this process the thought will quickly dissipate. You will have another thought and sometimes the same one. That is OK. Repeat your observing process and they will vanish, one after another. This is why many give up on trying to be still or “meditate”. They do not want to be alone with their thoughts. They are afraid of their thoughts. This is the perfect opportunity to let your thoughts know who is boss. You treat them like a 2 year old. You observe and do not judge. Just like any other bully, if you will not be troubled they will go and bother someone else. Stick it out. That first 5 minutes is usually observing all these thoughts. The quiet comes after the thoughts get tired of coming. Then you will experience true peace. After each observation bring your attention back to the now and to God. These thoughts cannot exist in the now. They are products of our imagination for the past and future. The now simply is and cannot be judged.
After the thoughts have stopped coming you will experience joy and peace. This is where you connect with the deep well of love streaming from the Creator. Here He will show you His beauty, joy, love, faith and every good thing he wants for you. This is one place you can hear from God.
Look for Bearing 5: The Word is a Light for your Path — Read Your Bible
