Meditation: Be Still

The words of Psalm 46:10 — “Be still and know that I am God” — are at the centrepiece of an ancient monastic practice which followers of Jesus have practiced for centuries. In a world like ours, which moves so quickly, this invitation to stillness is radically counter-cultural.

The practice takes the form of a meditation on those words from Psalm 46:10, beginning with the entire phrase being spoken out loud (usually, by someone else speaking over you), then leaving a pause, before the phase is then read again and again with one or two words removed from the end each time — continuing until we are left simply invited to “Be”.

It’s a way to help still the rush of thoughts in our minds, and allow us to pause and centre on God in the midst of whatever we are living with. It’s not about emptying our minds — rather, it’s about allowing God to come and fill them as He resets our perspective and reorients our thinking.

To help you engage with this practice, the Oasis Team have created a couple of versions of an audio recording; one with a gap of one minute left between repetitions, and one with a gap of three minutes. You can find these below, and also download them from SoundCloud to take with you on your devices.

As you listen, spend the time allowing God to meet you in the stillness and silence, to draw your attention to particular parts of the verse, and to speak a fresh word to you.