As a counsellor, pastor and inner healing/prayer minister, I have watched the proliferation of mental health struggles escalate over the past few decades, alongside the sweeping shift of Australian culture into a high pressure, relentless cycle of fast-paced, multi-tasking, technology filled stress. It seems we have lost the art of slowing down, enjoying the journey, and mastering the skills of stillness and silence which are so fundamental to our own wellbeing, and so essential for being present with God.
King David and some of the other psalmists encapsulated this in these words:
Be still and know that I am God (Psalm 46:10)
Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him (Psalm 37:7)
For God alone, my soul waits in silence’ (Psalm 62:1)
Jesus himself regularly prioritised silence and solitude above all the competing needs and demands around Him, as He sought out quiet places to be away from the crowd, sitting at the feet of the Father.
In this day and age, slowing down and waiting don’t come easily. We are better at microwaving than marinading, and even if we manage to shut the door on all the competing voices, and demands of daily life, it is not uncommon to find some internal resistance to stopping and stilling our interior world. Our busy minds have been likened to a tree full of monkeys jumping about, constantly distracting us, making internal quiet a challenge! Stillness is not just about finding space from the external pressures of life, but about stepping back from the busy activity of our minds, quieting our racing thoughts and cultivating a tranquil interior space where we tune into the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit and experience the Shalom of God.
In 2016, my husband and I went on a diving holiday on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, a globally renown dive site. As we travelled there, I felt God whisper to me that he was going to teach me something on this trip, leaving me intrigued! Our first scuba dive was at a depth of 20 metres exploring a stunning underwater reef wall. The turbulent current was running quite fast and suddenly, I found myself floating rapidly to the surface. This was alarming as ascending too quickly can be dangerous because of the effect of nitrogen bubbles in the blood. I eventually deflated my air vest enough to descend again, only to find the same thing happening repeatedly, by this stage I was feeling very anxious and not enjoying the dive at all!
One of the instructors approached me and invited me to go diving with her in the afternoon. She explained the challenging diving conditions had caused me to become anxious and breathe faster, increasing the oxygen in my lungs and causing me to rise to the surface. She taught me to focus on slowly exhaling when I felt anxious, allowing me to control my depth by the way I breathed. As I mastered this new breathing technique I could dive at greater depths and a spectacular new world opened to me, filled with exquisite marine life; stunning tropical fish, corals, sharks and turtles which could not be seen in the shallow waters. I knew God was speaking to me through this incident, teaching me to slow down. I needed to learn to ‘exhale’ in life, He was inviting me to make space to go deeper with Him into the new realms of experience He wanted to open to me.
Slowing down and stilling ourselves in the rush and noise of life is a discipline that like anything else, requires practice to cultivate. Interior stillness releases a capacity in us to engage with God at a deeper level. As our gaze settles on Him, we become aware of a listening stillness and a deep awareness being awakened, our spirit is alert, and we can sense the presence and peace of God within. In this place of internal quiet and spiritual attentiveness it is easy to be conscious of words that God drops into your heart. The apostle John described this state as being ‘in the spirit’ (Revelation 1:10), a state where he was totally engaged with the active flow of God. It is in this place our perception is heightened to thoughts, pictures, impressions and feelings flowing from the heart of God. Here we experience fresh insights, ‘lightbulb’ moments, words of wisdom, direction, encouragement, loving adjustments, reassurance and divine encounters.
In my own personal journey, and in my observations over decades of inner healing and counselling work, cultivating the capacity to be still with God, listen to His voice and encounter His presence, has been the most restorative, healing practice I have ever witnessed.
Some of the simple ways to facilitate this are making some space in your life to:
- Concentrating on slowing your breathing and transitioning to a listening stillness inside.
- Focusing on how you sense His indwelling presence.
- Thinking about things He has done for you and thanking Him.
- Expressing your affection toward Him.
- Remembering and meditating on previous encounters with Him.
- Reading small portions of scripture slowly and reflectively.
- Meditating on words He has spoken to you.
- Listening to worship music.
- Enjoying the beauty of creation; beaches, rivers, trees, mountains, skies, birds and flowers.
Noni Potter
nonipotter.com
Living Your Best Life: Keys to Freedom and Wholeness by Noni Potter