DAY 1 – TAKE 5 MINUTES IN SILENCE

THEME: STILLNESS AS SACRED GROUND

FOCUS: CULTIVATING INTERIOR QUIET AND PRACTICING THE PRESENCE OF GOD

PRACTICE:

Find a quiet space—a corner of your room, a sunlit chair, a spot in your backyard. Set a timer for five minutes. No phone. No to-do list. No expectations. This is not a time to “accomplish” anything. Just be.

Let yourself settle. If your thoughts begin to wander (and they likely will), gently return your focus to your breath. Inhale… exhale.

You are not doing nothing. You are opening a space—welcoming presence,

peace, and the quiet whisper of God.

REFLECTION:

Silence can be uncomfortable at first. You may hear the noise inside your own head: distractions, worries, the mental task list. That’s okay. Notice what surfaces—without judgment. This is about noticing, not fixing.

After the silence, consider writing in a journal:

• What did I notice or feel during these five minutes?

• Did I feel restless, relaxed, anxious, grateful?

• What does it feel like to just be in God’s presence without needing to speak or achieve?

This is a small practice—but a powerful one. Five minutes can open a door to deeper peace

and connection with God.

SCRIPTURE:

“Be still, and know that I am God!” Psalm 46:10 (NRSV)

This verse is an invitation, not a command. In the original Hebrew, “be still” implies let go, release, cease striving. God is not asking us to do more—God is offering us rest. It’s in stillness that we remember who God is—and who we are not. It’s not our effort that holds the world together. It’s grace.

PRAYER:

God of stillness and space,

Quiet the noise around me and within me.

Help me release my grip on the things I

cannot control.

Teach me to trust that You are present even

when I’m not busy.

Meet me here in the silence. Remind me

that I am loved simply because I exist.

Amen.