Learn this simple Biblical exercise to quiet your mind in God’s presence. Learn what Psalm 46:10 means when it says “be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10).
Have you felt like your mind is stuck in overdrive, with racing thoughts, anxieties, worries, and fears?
In the midst of our chaotic lives, it can be hard to quiet our minds to find God’s peace and presence. But the Bible offers helpful strategy to quiet our minds in Psalm 46:10 when it says, “be still, and know that I am God.”
What does Psalm 46:10 mean when it says to be still and know He is God?
What does it mean to “be still and know I am God”?
- At its core, this phrase is about finding rest and peace in God’s presence.
- It’s a call to slow down, to quiet our minds and hearts, and to trust in God’s goodness and sovereignty.
The traditional King James version of Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still and know that I am God!”
“[Cease striving] Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations; I will be exalted in the earth” (Psalm 46:10 NASB).
The original Hebrew language here means to stop, be inactive, let go, and relax.
This is a command also translated “cease striving,” “surrender,” “stop,” “desist,” and “make peace.[1]”
A copy of Psalm 46 is at the bottom of this post so you can reference it easily.
The most famous line in Psalm 46 is verse 1, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”
When we are surrounded by worries, our God is bigger than any troubling circumstance we encounter. He is larger than our enemies; He is greater than our troubled hearts; He is our fortress with abundant supplies!
So, in the middle of all our anxious thoughts and worries, as Psalm 46 says,
“There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy dwelling places of the Most High.”
Those streams are streams of living water flowing from God’s holy dwelling places of His presence.
This is the same living water from the Garden of Eden that gives life, strength and peace. This is the same living water Jesus offers for all those who are thirsty (John 7:37-39).
Every one of us who believes in Him has access to this living water that flows from our innermost being—it is the presence of the Holy Spirit inside us!
What Does Psalm 46:10 Mean?
The problem is that sometimes mind is covered over by worries, fears, anxiety, and pain. Our inner well of living water is stopped up.
So, we need to learn “how” to access that living water of dynamic strength, peace, love, and joy!
And Psalm 46 gives us a clue on how to do that.
It says our human response to overwhelming troubles should be to “be still and know.”
But, what does that really mean?
In other words, when we are spinning around in our own emotions, we should cease striving so hard in our own will and ways to simply stop. Stop pushing. Slow down, and set our minds on Him.
Stop and be still; surrender at the moment to God and His dealings–be still and know He is God.
Often, we grab tightly to our own opinions, without listening for God’s opinion.
We hold on to our rushing about, our hurt, pain, and bitterness. We grow impatient with everything.
Our own fears, attitudes, and worries consume us until we lose our sense of peace, love, or joy.
Yet, the verse commands us to let go, relax, be still, cease striving and surrender to God’s will and ways.
St. Augustine asked, “to what purpose are we emphatically commanded to ‘be still?’ We are commanded to be still so that we may see that God would say, ‘I am God. That is, not you, but I am God. I created, I create anew; I formed, I form anew; I made, I make anew.’”[2]
We cannot see the majesty of our mighty God or His goodness to us when we are caught up in our own worries, scurrying around with anxious, angry thoughts.
God has the answers to our problems and peace for our soul, but we miss His comfort in our emotional flurry.
Thus, the command to be still and know.
My Example of Learning What Psalm 46:10 Means
At a retreat years ago, the leader asked the entire assembly to be still, quiet down, and write what we thought the Lord was speaking to us.
I did not know what to do or how to do it.
And I did not know how to quiet the anxious thoughts in my mind–much less hear what God would say to me.
As the music played quietly, I fumbled with the paper; I fumbled with the pen; I fumbled with my jeans, and I fumed. I questioned how we could be asked to just sit there.
Just to get to the retreat center, I left a difficult situation. I left my child. I left a multitude of things undone. The travel was long, hard, and frustrating, and my mind was going in a million different directions.
I thought we could just sing, listen to a sermon, sleep in, and eat a few fancy meals I did not have to cook. That’s what I paid for—or so I thought.
Of course, my attitude was all wrong, but that’s where I was at the time. Since then I have learned “how” to quiet my soul, find peace, and receive from God.
This is a super simple process I am certain will help you also!
God is peace, love, and joy.
You can learn how to quiet your mind and receive hope and peace from God in any and all circumstances. You can live in the verse that says, “Be still and know that I am God.”
4 Steps to Learn How to Be Still and Know
Yet, because of that horrendous day in the Garden of Eden, our personal peace, love, and joy is hit and miss. We stray from His nature so easily.
However, when we begin to understand that our peace (or lack of peace) is an indicator of how close we are to His presence, we can grow in our ability to stay in His peace, more and more!
If we lose our peace of mind, we have strayed from God’s presence.
A loss of our personal peace is an indicator that God desires us to pull in closer to His heart, calm our fears, and strengthen our souls.
He has answers to our situations that only come with the quiet still small voice or breeze of His presence.
Startling as this all may sound at first, it is something we can fix!
I learned this excellent little exercise to calm my soul, and it works for everyone who has actually tried it!
Since it is extremely difficult to hear what God is saying to us when we are anxious and upset, we must learn how to be still and quiet on the inside.
How to Train Your Mind to Be Still Based on Psalm 46:10
For this exercise, we use a verse of Scripture to specifically train our mind to be still.
In the beginning, you will have many thoughts and emotions racing through your mind.
But if you focus on a Scripture verse in this specific way, the Word Himself will still your mind and reveal Himself to you.
Please note, we do not empty our minds. We are not emptying our minds so that any old thing can fill it!!!
In the past, we may have surrendered our minds to random thoughts, but this is an exercise in surrendering our minds to Christ alone (Rom 6:16).
We set our minds on things above (Col 3:1-3). We set our minds on our Savior, Jesus Christ.
This exercise helps us discipline our minds to focus on Jesus through His Word.
First, find a comfortable place free of distractions and have your Bible and a writing tablet handy.
You may want to play some Christian music. If you do play music, I suggest instrumental Christian music without words for this exercise, because our mind will start focusing on the words of the song—which is fine usually, but that is not our goal in this exercise.
There are different methods you can use to still your soul, but for this exercise, we want to learn to use the Holy Scriptures to still our mind and teach us to focus on God’s presence.
- If you think of things you have to do, write them down to deal with later.
- If you have thoughts about sin in your life, confess that to God and ask for forgiveness (1 John 1:9).
- If your mind is flitting about, focus only on the Scripture verse and/or picture Jesus with you (Heb 13:5).
My Prayer for You to Find Peace
Dear Lord, I thank you for your rich mercy and great love with which You have loved us. Even when we were in dead in our sins, you made us alive together with Christ by grace and raised us up with Him and seated us in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus (Eph 2:5-6).
I ask you to forgive my friends for missing the mark in any way. I ask you to surround them right now with Your love and peace; silence all the noise in their mind and soothe their emotions.
Break them free from all negative preconceived ideas associated with Your Word. I ask for Your peace to envelop Your children at this moment. Teach them to be still and know You are with them. Thank you, Lord.
How to Use Psalm 46:10 to Calm Your Mind
1. Pick a verse of prayer or praise
For this first exercise, you can use Psalm 46, or The Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6:9-11.
Any verse of prayer or praise is a good place to start. You may want to print these instructions out to refer back to until this practice becomes a habit.
2. Pray this suggested prayer
Dear Lord, I ask you to forgive me for coming short of the life you ordained for me. I ask you to meet me in Your Word, still my mind and teach me of You. Thank you.
3. Read this Verse of Scripture
Read very slowly, one phrase or word at the time, until you experience a sense of peace, then stay in this experience as long as you feel His peace.
The Word will quiet your mind and bring peace. The Scripture is for focus in this particular exercise so that your mind does not stray.
Our goal here is to use the Scripture to learn to quiet our soul (mind, will, emotions) and acquire the habit of setting our minds on things above (Col 3:2).
Simply begin by faith trusting the Word will still your soul.
Breathe in the Holy Spirit. Breathe out all anxiety. Wait in His presence and take into your heart the loving peace of the moment. Notice the peace. Continue waiting until the sense of His presence lifts, then move to the next phrase.
As you learn to set your mind on the ascended Christ in this way, you will begin to experience His divine presence.
If you continue to practice this skill, you will be able to use this strategy to bring peace to your soul any time you feel yourself out of peace. What you experience with Jesus in these moments is powerful!
This peaceful presence is the living river whose streams make glad the city of God, which flows from the dwelling places of the Most High (See explanation below; Psalm 46:4).
Here our anxious thoughts turn to praise. It is in the peaceful praise of our hearts we recognize the river of living water flowing from our inner being (John 7:37-39).
Here we drink and are satisfied. The river of His presence brings healing to our spirit, soul (mind, will, emotions), and body!
4. Write & Repeat
Write down any spontaneous thoughts come to your mind in your notebook/journal.
This simple act validates your experience in your own mind and helps sort through your experiences. You may want to share with a trusted, supportive friend if appropriate.
I encourage you to practice this exercise every day for many days—until it becomes easy and familiar. It takes a bit of practice to learn a new skill, so do not be discouraged if your first attempt is not what you expect! Keep pursuing Jesus in this way.
If you continue the practice, you will gain more and more confidence; and Jesus will share more of Himself with you. You will learn to experience greater depths of His love.
By the way, if this exercise was easy for you, ask the Lord to show you deeper depths of this same skill. He will do so.
I pray for you dear reader that you would practice this little exercise to find God in amazing new ways in your life!
May you would learn how to find peace in God’s presence easily and know what it is to be still and know the God of all comfort in His presence!
Other Helpful Ways to Quiet Our Mind And Find Peace In God
So how else can we quiet our souls and find that stillness in God? Here are a few other practical tips:
- Spend time in prayer. Prayer is a powerful tool for quieting our souls and connecting with God. Take some time each day to pray, either in a quiet space or while out for a walk. Pour out your heart to God, expressing your fears, worries, and doubts, and ask him to fill you with his peace.
- Meditate on Scripture. The Bible is full of verses that remind us of God’s faithfulness and love. Spend time each day meditating on a few key verses, allowing them to sink deep into your soul and fill you with hope and peace. We will dive into this more in a minute.
- Practice gratitude. When we’re feeling overwhelmed, it’s easy to focus on all the things that are going wrong. But cultivating a heart of gratitude can help shift our perspective and remind us of all the good things in our lives. Take some time each day to reflect on the blessings in your life and thank God for his goodness.
- Additionally, Take time to rest. In our fast-paced society, it’s easy to feel like we always need to be doing something. But rest is crucial for our physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. Set aside time each week to rest and recharge, whether that’s by taking a nap, going for a walk, or simply spending time with loved ones.
By practicing these habits, we can cultivate a spirit of stillness and peace in our lives, even in the midst of chaos and uncertainty. So let’s heed God’s call to “be still my soul” and find rest in his loving presence.
Psalm 46
God the Refuge of His People.
46 God is our refuge and strength,
[b]A very present help in [c]trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change
And though the mountains slip into the heart of the [d]sea;
3 Though its waters roar and foam,
Though the mountains quake at its swelling pride. [e]Selah.
4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
The holy dwelling places of the Most High.
5 God is in the midst of her, she will not be moved;
God will help her [f]when morning dawns.
6 The [g]nations made an uproar, the kingdoms tottered;
He [h]raised His voice, the earth melted.
7 The Lord of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah.
8 Come, behold the works of the Lord,
[i]Who has wrought desolations in the earth.
9 He makes wars to cease to the end of the earth;
He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two;
He burns the chariots with fire.
Psalm 46:10“[j]Cease striving and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the [k]nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”
11 The Lord of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah. Psalm 46 (NASB)
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Article Notes:
- R. G. Bratcher and W. D. Reyburn, “Psalm 46:10,” A Translator’s Handbook On The Book Of Psalms (New York: United Bible Societies, 1991), 435. ↑
- Augustine of Hippo. Expositions on the Book of Psalms, (1888). In P. Schaff (Ed.), A. C. Coxe (Trans.), Saint Augustin: Expositions on the Book of Psalms, Vol. 8 (New York: Christian Literature Company), 160. ↑
- Roy B. Blizzard, Let Judah Go Up First: A Study in Praise, Prayer, and Worship (Austin, Texas: Center for Judaic-Christian Studies, 1984), 26. ↑
- Streams In The Desert – June 30 Public domain content taken from Streams in the Desert by Mrs. Charles Cowman. YouDevotion © 2016 Tap Tap Studio http://www.youdevotion.com/streams/june/30 (accessed July 8, 2016). ↑
Photo by James Wheeler from Pexels
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I absolutely love this article and being in the presence of God through His Word! He’s Awesome!
Thank You!
I’m so glad, Sheila! He is awesome! Blessings to you!