We want to take a few minutes to, as the psalmist, intentionally “calm and quiet our souls.” This can help us turn our hearts toward God and prepare us for time in prayer and time in the Word.
- Slowly read Psalm 131, don’t rush:
O Lord, my heart is not lifted up;
my eyes are not raised too high;
I do not occupy myself with things
too great and too marvelous for me.
But I have calmed and quieted my soul,
like a weaned child with its mother;
like a weaned child is my soul within me.
O Israel, hope in the Lord
from this time forth and forevermore.
- Take a few minutes to lay down anything on your mind and heart — anxieties, concerns, sins to confess, joys or sorrows, etc. It can be helpful to physically place your hands with palms facing down as a symbol of laying everything down before God.
- Take a few minutes to express your dependence on God — asking for His strength, help, provision, etc. for any needs that are on your heart. This is not a time to pray through your whole prayer list, but simply to entrust to God’s strength and provision the things on your heart. It can be helpful to physically place your hands with palms facing up as a symbol of dependence and receiving your needs from God.
- Slowly, read through the psalm again. Finish with a few moments of being still before God — “hoping in the Lord, from this time and forever.”