Three Simple Practices to Find God Through Stillness, Gratitude, and Honest Prayer
Are you longing to feel close to God in a hard or hurried season? These simple practices to find God can help you slow down, notice His presence, and bring your real heart before Him. Through stillness, gratitude, and honest prayer, you can begin to recognize the ways He is already meeting you in ordinary moments.
In our recent conversation on the Perspectives Into Practice podcast, Tricia shared how God has been teaching her to find joy in a wilderness season. She talked about rain, birds, wind, flowers, laughter, and the quiet reminders that God is near. Her circumstances did not suddenly become easy. She learned to stay with Him long enough to notice that she was never walking alone.
That stayed with me because I know how quickly I can rush past the very things God is using to draw me closer. I want an answer in five minutes. I want a clear plan, a quick fix, and a neat ending. But the Lord often invites me to stay a while. To listen. To look again. To let Him meet me in the middle of the wilderness.
Why Stillness Helps Us Notice God
Stillness can feel uncomfortable when your thoughts are loud. The moment the noise stops, you may notice fear, disappointment, comparison, or exhaustion. I have sat down to pray and realized I was carrying ten conversations in my head at once.
Stillness is not about performing peace. It is about making room for God. Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still, and know that I am God” (CSB). The verse comes in the middle of a psalm about trouble, shaking nations, and unrest. God is not asking us to pretend everything is calm. He is reminding us that He remains God when everything around us feels unsettled.
One of the simple practices to find God is learning to pause before you fill the silence. You may not hear an audible voice. You may not receive an immediate answer. Still, you can become more aware of His presence and more willing to receive what He wants to show you.
Practice One: Sit Still and Stay a While
Tricia described using binoculars to look for birds. She said she cannot lift them for a few seconds and expect to find the bird immediately. She has to keep looking. She has to stay attentive. That picture has helped me think differently about time with God.
Sometimes I read a short passage and close my Bible because nothing seems to happen. I assume I did my part, even though my heart was still distracted. But seeking God takes patience. The sweetness often comes when we remain present instead of rushing away.
A simple five-minute stillness practice
- Put your phone out of reach and sit somewhere comfortable.
- Take a few slow breaths while remembering that God is with you.
- Read a short passage of Scripture, such as Psalm 46 or Psalm 23.
- Notice one word or phrase that stands out to you.
- Stay with that phrase and ask, “Lord, what do You want me to see?”
You do not have to create a perfect quiet time. A kitchen chair, a parked car, or a few minutes before the rest of the house wakes up can become sacred space. These simple practices to find God begin with showing up honestly, not with having an impressive spiritual routine.
Give yourself permission to begin small. Five faithful minutes can become ten. Ten minutes can teach your heart that quiet is not something to fear. It is a place where you can remember who God is.
Practice Two: Notice and Name Gratitude
Gratitude changes what I pay attention to. It does not erase pain, and it does not require me to call a difficult situation good. It helps me notice the goodness of God while I am still living through something hard.
In Deuteronomy 2:7, Moses reminded Israel, “The Lord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He has watched over your journey through this immense wilderness. The Lord your God has been with you; you have lacked nothing” (CSB). Israel had spent forty years in the wilderness. Their season was long, but God had not been absent.
That verse gives us a way to look at our own wilderness seasons. We may feel like we are lacking everything, yet God may be providing in ways we have not stopped to recognize. A friend sends a text. Rain cools the air. You receive strength for one more conversation. A song reminds you of truth. You laugh when you thought you could not.
One of the most practical simple practices to find God is to keep a small gratitude list. Tricia writes down three things she is grateful for at her desk each day. The list does not have to be profound. In fact, the ordinary things may become the most meaningful.
Try a daily gratitude check
- What small kindness did I receive today?
- Where did I notice beauty?
- What strength did God provide?
- What made me smile or laugh?
- What is one truth about God I can thank Him for?
On difficult days, your answer may be, “Thank You that I made it through breakfast,” or, “Thank You for staying with me when I felt overwhelmed.” That is enough. Honest gratitude is not pretending. It is opening your eyes to grace.
You may also want to keep a record of answered prayers. A Christian prayer tracking practice article can help you remember what God has done when a new season makes you forget His faithfulness.
Practice Three: Pray Honestly Without Pretending
God is not waiting for you to sound spiritual before He listens. You do not need a special voice, polished words, or the right emotional posture. You can come to Him as you are because He already knows what is happening inside you.
In the podcast conversation, Tricia said there are times she has to tell God, “I do not feel joyful. I do not want to do this. You are going to have to help me.” I love the honesty in that prayer. She is not rejecting God. She is admitting that she cannot produce peace and joy in her own strength.
Psalm 62:8 says, “Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts before him, for God is our refuge” (CSB). Pouring out your heart leaves room for tears, anger, confusion, and hope. God can handle the full truth.
Honest prayer is one of the simple practices to find God because it removes the distance created by pretending. You can tell Him what you fear. You can ask why. You can confess that you are tired of waiting. You can ask Him to help you want what He wants.
A prayer pattern for hard days
- Name it: “Lord, I feel anxious and worn out.”
- Release it: “I give You the outcome I cannot control.”
- Ask for help: “Give me strength for the next faithful step.”
- Receive truth: “You are with me, and I am not alone.”
- Stay open: “Show me what You want me to notice today.”
Some prayers will be longer. Others may be one sentence repeated through the day. “Jesus, help me.” “You are with me.” “I trust You with this moment.” Short prayers still reach a faithful God.
When worry keeps circling your mind, you can also combine prayer with Scripture and surrender. These Christian ways to stop overthinking article offer practical help for bringing fearful thoughts back under the truth of God.
How to Make These Practices Part of Daily Life
It is easy to read about simple practices to find God and then forget them when the day becomes busy. I think the key is to attach each practice to something you already do. Sit still before you start the car. Name gratitude while making coffee. Pray honestly while folding laundry or walking to the mailbox.
You are not trying to earn God’s attention. He is already near. These rhythms help you pay attention to the nearness that was there all along.
A simple weekly rhythm
- Morning: Sit quietly for five minutes and read a few verses.
- Midday: Name one thing you are grateful for before moving to the next task.
- Evening: Tell God what felt hard, what brought joy, and where you saw His care.
- Once a week: Spend time outdoors without rushing. Listen, look, and receive.
Some days you will miss the rhythm. Begin again without shame. God is not standing over you with a scorecard. He is inviting you back into relationship.
You may also need to surrender the pressure to keep everything together. If your schedule and responsibilities have become heavy, read about how to surrender burdens to God article and take the next faithful step with Him.
What You May Discover When You Slow Down
As you practice stillness, gratitude, and honest prayer, your circumstances may remain difficult for a while. The wilderness may still feel like a wilderness. Yet your awareness of God can grow right there.
You may discover that joy is not the same as constant happiness. Peace is not the absence of questions. Faith is not pretending you are never afraid. These simple practices to find God help you meet Him in the real place where you are, and that changes how you carry the day.
Maybe you will notice His provision. Maybe you will recognize that you need rest. Maybe you will hear a Scripture with new clarity or realize that someone in your community is one of God’s gifts to you. Sometimes He meets us through a quiet moment. Sometimes through laughter. Sometimes through the courage to say, “Lord, I need You.”
Friend, you do not have to wait until life is perfect to experience the goodness of God. Sit with Him. Look for His fingerprints. Tell Him the truth. Keep going when the first few minutes feel quiet. The God who stayed with Israel in the wilderness is still faithful to stay with you.
For the full conversation about finding joy in a wilderness season, trusting God when life is hard, and noticing His presence in the small things, listen to the full podcast episode. Then choose one of these simple practices to find God and put it into practice today.
Key takeaways:
- Stillness helps you notice God instead of rushing past His presence.
- Gratitude trains your heart to recognize grace in ordinary moments.
- Honest prayer gives you room to bring your whole self to God.
- Small, consistent rhythms can strengthen your faith in a wilderness season.
- You are never required to face a hard season alone.
