NEXUS PRAYER | STEP 4 | BE STILL
“Be still, ….” Psalm 46:10
The English transliteration of Psalm 46:10 from the original Hebrew is:
Har’Pû ûd’û Kiy-änokhiy élohiym ärûm BaGôyim ärûm Bääretz
It is here at the first word in the original language of Psalm 46:10, “Harpu”, that we discover the heart of nexus prayer. And it is from the root of “harpu” that we derive the word “raphah” that we translate in English as “Be still”. Its meaning includes and implies to let go, to lay down, to drop, relax, abandon, forsake, cease striving, desist, and yes, be quiet. Today it is often expressed as “Let go, and let God!”
Historically, most biblical scholars believe “Be still” was literally a command from God to Israel’s soldiers to lay down or drop their weapons when Jerusalem was under siege and threatened by King Sennacherib’s Assyrian army. Psalm 46:8-11, Isaiah 36:1 The message for Israel, then, is the same message for us today. Just as God rescued His people from the hands of King Sennacherib’s armies at Jerusalem and Pharaoh’s armies at the Red Sea, Exodus 15:1-19 He is able and willing to fight the battles of life for us today. We only have to let go. The battle (and victory) is not ours, but the Lord’s.
In nexus prayer, we, too, are to drop everything in the face of all of our personal “demons”, daily battles, and storms of life. God will do the fighting (and win the victory) for us. Our only job is to “be still.” With palms down to drop, to let go of our past, our present, our future. To let go of all of our problems, failures, hurts, and disappointments. To let go of our ego, our pride, our sin, even all of our achievements and successes. To simply let go…and let God.
So, it is at this stage of nexus prayer that we are simply letting go of anything and everything to God. Think of it as letting go of all of your life into God’s hands every single time you enter God’s presence using nexus prayer.
- READY: Give God your full, undivided attention in this step of nexus prayer.
- SET: Set your prayer timer¹ for five minutes, or the appropriate interval (5, 10, 15, 20 m)
- SIT: With your eyes closed during the fifteen seconds of preparation time, sit comfortably in a chair with your hands by your side or in your lap. Breathe normally, and just let your body relax letting go of anything and everything that comes to your mind..
- PRAY: Begin by silently, or softly verbalizing (once): “Be still …”
- VISUALIZE: For a few seconds, ruminate on the prayer words “Be still ….”
- LISTEN: Then, simply be still, silent, and listen to God, ignoring any and all thoughts, problems, memories, sounds, or distractions that may come your way. Should internal thoughts or external distractions arise, simply dismiss them by returning to the prayer words, “Be still”, of this step of Psalm 46:10. Continue in nexus prayer until the chime of your prayer timer prompts you to move to step five.
CONTINUE TO STEP FIVE
NOTES & CREDITS
- Although you can use your watch, built-in phone timer, or even the the timer on your microwave., I recommend downloading and using Meditation Timer Pro for iPhone from the App Store. The free version (with ads) works perfectly fine, but for only $1.99 you can download and customize the timer without ads. I’ve used it since 2015 with zero problems and love it! Questions about setting up and using the timer? Contact me.
- Photo Credit: Original Cathedral dome photograph by Delfi de la Rua | Used & modified with permission by Nexus Prayer International
