Day 4

What Happens When We Stop for 10 Seconds

Psalm 46:10 – “Be still, and know that I am God.”

We live in a world that never stops. We rush from one thing to the next, filling every spare moment with noise—emails, social media, conversations, news updates. Stillness feels unnatural. Pausing feels unproductive. But what if stopping, even for just ten seconds, would change everything?

God is not found in the hurry. He is not encountered in the relentless striving. He meets us in the still quiet. He has been present all along, but we don’t notice Him because we’re moving too fast. That’s why Psalm 46:10 doesn’t just tell us to “know that He is God”—it tells us to be still first. Stillness isn’t a suggestion. It’s a prerequisite.

Be honest with yourself, being still isn’t easy. Our minds resist it. The moment we try, distractions flood in. Our to-do lists scream for attention. The urge to check our phones takes over. The noise of life rushes in to fill the quiet.

And yet, this is where God meets us. Not in our endless doing, but in our willing stopping.

Elijah & the Whisper of God

In 1 Kings 19, Elijah was exhausted, afraid, and hiding in a cave. He had just called fire down from heaven, but now he was running for his life. He expected God to show up in a big, dramatic way. Instead, God sent an angel to bake a cake between naps and then told Elijah, “Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord.”

Then came a powerful wind—but God was not in the wind.
Then came an earthquake—but God was not in the earthquake.
Then came a fire—but God was not in the fire.

And then, a low whisper.

That’s where God was. Not in the chaos. Not in the noise. In the stillness. In the quiet.

Elijah had to stop. He had to slow down enough to hear it.

What This Means for Us
• Stillness is not inactivity. It’s an intentional pause to refocus on God.
• God is always speaking, but we’re often too busy to hear Him.
• Slowing down shifts our focus from what is urgent to what is eternal.

Reflection:
1. When was the last time you were still before God?
2. What distractions keep you from pausing throughout the day?
3. How would your life change if you built small moments of stillness into your routine?

Do Something:
Right now—stop. Set a timer for 10 seconds. Take a breath. No words. No prayers. No requests. Just stillness. Let God have the space. He is already here. You don’t have to make Him show up. You just have to slow down long enough to notice.