Recently, I had the gift of a couple of days alone near Lake Michigan. My “God-Date,” I call it.
One evening, I sat outside in a rocking chair. Without city lights, darkness surrounded me. Cool air brushed my skin. Waves rolled steadily onto the shore.
Peace embraced me.
Yet, part of me wanted to do something with the moment.
I wanted to talk with God. Ask questions. Listen for answers. Maybe receive some great insight.
These stretches of solitude rarely come, so I wanted to squeeze something spiritual out of this opportunity.
And then I realized:
Maybe I didn’t need to make anything happen.
Maybe God was already here.
So instead of pushing for conversation, I sat quietly.
The waves played a soothing melody.
The breeze danced across my skin.
I settled into the rocking chair’s slow, steady sway.
I breathed.
And somewhere in that simple awareness, my prayer changed.
I wasn’t trying to get God to speak anymore.
I was simply being with God.
There’s a difference.
Sometimes when God seems silent, our instinct is to try harder. We pray more words. Ask more questions. Search for a sign. Reach for some experience that will reassure us God is present.
But the invitation may be much simpler.
Be still enough to know God is here.
Psalm 46 says, “Be still, and know that I am God.”
Maybe that isn’t only a command to stop moving.
Maybe it’s an invitation to wake up.
To notice.
To realize this ordinary moment is already filled with God’s presence.
The sound of the wind.
The feeling of your feet on the floor.
The warmth of a cup in your hands.
The rise and fall of your breathing.
The face of someone you love.
The quiet of an empty room.
Maybe these aren’t distractions from prayer.
Maybe they’re doorways into it.
God’s silence doesn’t mean God is absent.
Sometimes silence is an invitation to stop reaching for God somewhere else and awaken to the God who is already here.
So when God seems silent, perhaps we don’t need to force a conversation.
We can whisper:
I’m here.
And then listen.
Not necessarily for words.
Listen to the moment.
Feel it.
Receive it.
Rest inside it.
Because maybe the deepest prayer isn’t always hearing God say something.
Sometimes prayer is becoming still enough to recognize what has been true all along:
God is here.
This moment is filled with God’s presence.
We only need awaken to it.
A Simple Practice: God Is Here and So Am I
Find a place where you can sit quietly for a few minutes.
You don’t have to create a spiritual experience.
You don’t have to make God speak.
Simply notice what’s already here.
Feel the air brush your skin.
God is here.
Listen to the sounds around you—the wind, the rain, traffic in the distance, birds, waves, or the hum of the room.
God is here.
Notice your breathing.
God is here.
Feel your feet against the ground or your body resting in the chair.
God is here.
Notice the scent of the air, your coffee, the earth, your own skin.
God is here.
You’re not saying that the wind, the waves, or your body are God.
You’re allowing the ordinary things of life to remind you you’re already living in the presence of God.
There’s nothing to force.
Nothing to accomplish.
Nothing you need to hear.
Just notice.
Receive.
Awaken.
And every so often, whisper again:
God is here.
I am here.
Maybe that’s enough.
Maybe that’s when we become the prayer.
—brian plachta
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Want to Go Deeper?
In Divine Flow: Reclaiming the Lost Art of Contemplation for Everyday Life, I describe God’s grace as something like slipping into a warm lake and feeling the water surround and hold you—until your mind, body, and heart begin to rest in a deeper sense of awe and peace. That’s what Divine Flow is about: learning to recognize, receive, and live more fully in the flow of God’s amazing grace. If you’d like to go deeper, I invite you to purchase a copy of Divine Flow and let God’s amazing grace wash over you.
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If you’re seeking a gentler start to your mornings—one you can carry with you into your day to find more inner peace—I invite you to join divineFlow Daily, a free short reflection and quote sent to your inbox each day. In under a minute, it’s meant to help you slow down, breathe, and remember what truly gives life before the noise sets in.
Sign up for divineFlow Daily here.
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