I have a spiritual vitamin for you — a little, power-packed prayer that’s a Gospel of Jesus in miniature. It’s based on a favorite Bible verse of mine that most Christians I talk to have difficulty practicing: “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10, NIV84).
First, let’s meditate on these paraphrases of Psalm 46:10:
“Quiet your heart, rely on me – the Spirit of Christ, the I AM – living and breathing in you.” (my paraphrase)
“Step out of the traffic! Take a long, loving look at me, your High God.” (MSG)
“Our God says, ‘Calm down, and learn that I am God!’” (CEV)
“Cease striving and know that I am God.” (Dallas Willard’s paraphrase)
A Simplifying Prayer
Now let’s try praying Psalm 46:10 as a “Simplifying Prayer” that helps us to simplify our prayer and center ourselves quietly and peacefully on the Lord who is the I AM.
To begin, settle into a relaxed posture of prayer. (Use your body to engage your mind and heart in prayer.) Sit comfortably. Do some deep breathing…
Begin to gently and slowly repeat the word of the Lord. You might try breathing in each line… And then breathing out your stress…
“Be still and know that I am God…”
“Be still and know that I AM…”
“Be still and know…”
“Be still…”
“Be…”
An Echo Prayer to Be Still with Jesus
I’d like to share my “Echo Prayer” adaptation of Psalm 46:10 that centers us on Jesus Christ, the one who fulfilled the Psalms. It’s called “Be Still and Know Christ.” This is a power-packed spiritual vitamin for the soul! If you memorize this then you can call up for meditation anytime.
Pray it slowly and deeply from your heart. “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly” (Colossians 3:16). To go deeper in the prayer try pausing quietly to hold the last word in your heart like an echo before continuing the prayer. As you’re still in Christ’s presence perhaps a scene from the Gospels will come to mind — step inside it to draw closer to Christ!
Be Still and Know Christ
“Be still and know Christ Jesus lives as the I AM, my Savior, my Lord, my Teacher, my Friend — Immanuel… Immanuel.”
“Be still and know Christ Jesus lives as the I AM, my Savior, my Lord, my Teacher, my Friend… my Friend.”
“Be still and know Christ Jesus lives as the I AM, my Savior, my Lord, my Teacher… my Teacher.”
“Be still and know Christ Jesus lives as the I AM, my Savior, my Lord… my Lord.”
“Be still and know Christ Jesus lives as the I AM, my Savior… my Savior.”
“Be still and know Christ Jesus lives as the I AM… the I AM.”
“Be still and know Christ Jesus lives… Jesus lives.”
“Be still and know Christ… know Christ.”
“Be still… be still.”
Continue to Abide in Christ
Check out one of my favorite prayer-poems inspired by Psalm 46:10: “Be Still as the Lake at Dawn.” What gift that God gave this to me on one of my Sabbath days as I prayed and meditated on Scripture by the lake!
You may want to learn more about Abiding in Prayer and why it’s such a valuable spiritual discipline.
More Breath Prayers
To pray a short verse or paraphrase of Scripture as a Breath Prayer is refreshing and empowering. It helps you learn to practice God’s presence all day and stay in tune with the peace of Christ. I’ve selected key verses of Scripture and developed step-by-step instructions for meditation, breathing rhythms, and prayer in “Breath Prayer Guides.”
