When thoughts are racing and schedules are busy, it can be difficult to make time for meaningful prayers. Rushing through prayers can become the norm, and we might repeat the same phrases without much thought. How can we refresh our spiritual routines when prayers feel flat?
Jacob Hess and Carrie Skarda, authors of The Practice of Stillness, believe that a simple visualization practice can make all the difference—even when you’re short on time.
The Snow Globe Principle
To connect more deeply with God, Jacob and Carrie recommend taking a moment before your prayers to envision your thoughts settling like glitter in a snow globe.
“That is my minute before praying,” Jacob explained in a recent video. “If I just don’t do anything, don’t say anything, don’t move, just let things settle, I can almost see sediment inside me just kind of [shift]. And then after that sediment clears, I see more clearly how I actually feel, noticing things that otherwise, if I just launch into a conversation, it’s kind of superficial.”
He believes creating this intentional moment of stillness can foster more authentic prayers and allow us to approach God with the things we’re truly thinking and feeling.
“Prayerful presence … is really a radical act as we show our willingness to stay in reality and not just run away—being present to what’s actually going on in our heart, mind, and life,” Jacob says. “In my experience, this kind of courageous vulnerability can be a huge catalyst for more meaningful prayers.”
A Skill We Can All Learn
Carrie believes that people of all ages can practice this skill to make prayers more meaningful. “I’ve even done this with Primary kids,” she says. “I’ll use the analogy of the snow globe before we start our prayer in our class and just let ourselves settle. And they actually catch on to it.
“It’s definitely a skill that we can all learn, bringing our attention into our bodies and bringing it back to being totally present with God and with whatever it is we’re experiencing with Him.”
Carrie and Jacob acknowledge that “the skill of still” is not only about finding quiet moments but also connecting with the true Source of stillness. As Elder David A. Bednar taught:
“I believe the Lord’s admonition to ‘be still’ entails much more than simply not talking or not moving. Perhaps His intent is for us to remember and rely upon Him and His power ‘at all times and in all things, and in all places that [we] may be in.’ Thus, ‘be still’ may be a way of reminding us to focus upon the Savior unfailingly as the ultimate source of the spiritual stillness of the soul that strengthens us to do and overcome hard things.”
Watch the video below to learn more about applying mindfulness principles to your prayers.
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