Part 4: Quiet

Online Retreats

This is Part 4 of our Let the Thirsty Come retreat series, which highlights different aspects of spending extended quality time with God.

God calls us to come and be still, and this invitation flows from God’s mighty power – not from the stillness of our surroundings or circumstances. Even in the midst of troubles, Psalm 46 teaches that we can rest in our good God, as Josh shares in this month’s devotional.

Retreat Activities

With the emphasis in this retreat, we encourage you to practice stillness and silence through the entire retreat time. In stillness, we seek to actively rest in the unchanging reality of our awesome God’s constant presence and care. As cares or anxieties arise, we entrust these back to our good Father, and rest our hearts in his strength. You can also seek to foster a restful tone by moving slower and not rushing through anything that you do. This might mean walking slower, reading at a relaxed pace, making this retreat about being still and simply knowing your great God, rather than trying to accomplish something. We also encourage you to try practicing outward silence during this retreat – refraining from speaking or singing, as well as refraining from media of any type, even listening to worship songs. This may require you printing out some materials beforehand, so you don’t need to use your phone or computer during the retreat.

This retreat consists of 4 sections: Quieting Our Hearts, Meditating on Our Great God, Being Present, and Closing Response and Rest.

Quieting Our Hearts

The purpose of this first section is to intentionally take some time to transition and lay before the Lord anything that is on our hearts and minds. Entrust yourself and your life circumstances entirely to your strong and good Father – he will not fail you.

Main Activity (choose 1)

The Lord’s Prayer – in this activity, we use the Lord’s prayer as a template for our own prayers. We take on Jesus’s priorities, look to our Father in heaven, and stand in simple dependence on him.

Psalm 131 – this activity gives you some space to slow down, turn your eyes to God, and briefly lay down before him the things that are on your heart and mind.

Transition Activity

Journaling Break – after your time of prayer, journal briefly about what is at the forefront of your mind and heart right now. Write a short prayer (just a few sentences) entrusting this to God and asking that he would speak into these things.

Meditating on Our Great God

Stillness and silence flow from seeing the greatness and goodness of God. Don’t rush through this time of dwelling on God’s Word. This is the most important step in quietly resting during this retreat.

Main Activity (choose 1)

Time with a Text – this activity uses timers in order to make space for dwelling on God’s Word and it works well for almost any short scripture passage.

Walking with a Text – this meditation activity is especially helpful for passages that you can ponder line by line or phrase by phrase.

Journaling with a Text – this activity is more visual and concrete than the others, so it may be very helpful if you feel like you need to do something more interactive.

A Shift in Emphasis – in this activity, you slow down to look at and dwell on every word of a short sentence or verse. Possible passages for this activity could include: Psalm 46:10, one verse from Psalm 62:5-8, or Isaiah 26:4.

Possible Scriptures for Meditation:

  • Psalm 62:5-8 – He only is my rock and my salvation
  • Psalm 46:10-11 – Be still and know that I am God
  • Isaiah 26:3-4 – You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you
  • Isaiah 40:25-31 – The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth
  • Romans 11:33-36 – O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God!
  • 1 Chronicles 29:10-13 – Yours, oh Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty

Response Activity

Be Still and Know – as we meditate on the greatness of God, humble stillness before him is a very appropriate response. Since you just spent time in Scripture, you can skip the first step in this activity “Set your heart on God.” Set a timer for 3 to 5 minutes for the “Be still” step of this activity.

Being Present

In this section, we do a single activity that helps us practice being present to what is going on around us. Though it is not a prayer or Scripture meditation activity, we include it because it is very helpful as we seek to slow down and live in the reality that God is ever present with us.

Being Present – we strongly recommend that you do this activity outside, whether sitting or walking.

Closing Response and Rest

In this last section, choose whichever activities will help you to continue to rest in God and set your heart and eyes on him.

Transition Activity

Spend a few minutes in prayer – read the list of possible activities below and talk to God about which would be most helpful to you for your remaining time of retreat.

Main Activities (choose any that you would like)

Liturgy/Prayer of the Month – God Over All, from The Valley of Vision.

Devotional Chapter – read a chapter from a devotional book that helps you rest in God and see his greatness, either one linked here or one you have at home.

Prayers in Scripture – if there is something specific on your heart that you would like to express to God in prayer, take a look at the different prayer possibilities in this activity and use one of them as a template for your own personal time of prayer.

Artistic response – use the “Interacting with the Psalms” activity to help you creatively or artistically respond in prayer. You can choose whether or not it is helpful to you to do or to skip step one, “Connect with God’s Word.”

Closing Reflection and Prayer – this activity may be helpful to bring together your thoughts and wrap up your time of retreat.

Closing Activity

Be Still and Know – end your time of retreat with 3 minutes of restful stillness before God.

Example Retreats

These activities can be done in two short, 1-hour retreats, or as a single 2- to 3-hour retreat. All of the following are just suggestions – change them and customize them with activities you find most helpful.

Short Retreat, Part 1

Short Retreat, Part 2

Two- to Three-Hour Retreat

Tips and Reminders

Key Attitude – Slow down

Intentionally slow down each thing you do during your time of retreat. This can help you engage more deeply with God and be more in touch with how you are really doing — the thoughts in your mind and emotions of your heart.

Let this slower pace impact every aspect of your time with God: the speed you walk, read, eat, pray, etc. This pace acknowledges a core reality — in your time with Him, God does not desire for you to accomplish much, He desires you yourself. While Jesus was intentional in everything He did, we never see Him in a hurry. Let us follow the lead of our Savior.

It’s okay if silence is hard

For many of us, moments of silence and stillness are rare in our everyday lives. We are not used to silence, and it may be something that is not highly valued in our society or community. Because of this, silence and stillness may be difficult for you at first, and may make you feel uncomfortable. Be patient with yourself in this growth process.

Some may question why we are seeking to be silent at all. You may walk away from times of silence thinking “it’s not doing anything for me” or “it doesn’t seem to be accomplishing anything.” Remember, we are not being still before God in order to “accomplish something” or to foster any type of spiritual experience. We are silent because God invites us to be still before him. It isn’t about producing, accomplishing, or experiencing anything. It’s about living in the reality of our mighty God. Blessed are all who wait for Him.

Other Retreat Resources

Liturgy/prayer of the month:

God Over All, from The Valley of Vision

Devotional Chapters:

Abide in Christ by Andrew Murray – Chapter 2, “You Will Find Rest for Your Souls”

The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence – Letters 13-15 on entrusting our suffering to God

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