Soaking and resting in the Lord is an important part of growing intimate in your walk with Jesus. He wants to spend time with us and fellowship with us.
One of the ways He does this is through us entering into a quiet time with Him. Soaking is putting on some soft Christian music and simply lying or sitting in the Lord’s presence.
In order to start soaking with the Lord, you will need to find your quiet place and a place that is free of distractions. I suggest your living room, bedroom or prayer room. Put on some soft worshipful music and find a comfortable position and listen to the music.
As you are starting to soak, you need to learn how to disconnect your mind and the thoughts that are running through it from the day. It will take an average of 15 minutes to disengage your brain when you first start, so don’t get discouraged; it is normal, but as you practice, you will be able to enter into His presence and close your mind off to distractions much sooner.
What are some practical tips for trying to disengage from the world and connect with the Father? Here are some tips:
- Blank out your thoughts.
- Speak in English: “Praise You, Jesus. Thank You, Lord.” Be careful not to pray and give Him your prayer list or your mind will start going.
- Pray in the Spirit.
- Listen to instrumental music.
- Reflect on a vision you had with Jesus.
- Put yourself in your “happy place,” such as the beach or sitting by the fire.
Continue by trying to enter into His presence. Tell Him, “Lord I am here for You, whatever You want.” Then be quiet and just listen. Focus on the music if you start to get distracted and your mind starts to wonder. Really press into the drums or piano, or focus on the words, and see if the Lord will speak to you through the words the musicians are singing. If you are not, “feeling” the music, then change the music.
You can soak to different types of music.
- Worship music. Soft worshipful music is often from well-known artists and songs you are familiar with. A popular way to start soaking is by listening to worship music, and singing along can help you stay focused and enter into the Lord’s presence.
- Instrumental music. Music without words such as piano or violin can be anointed. Water and nature music might also be a type you would enjoy. Instrumental music can be calming and relaxing. For people who have a lot on their mind, this can be good because they can get caught up in the waves and nature sound and try to relax.
- Prophetic music. This music will go up and down, will be free flowing and will not always be songs you know. It can be songs played over and over, or songs that talk about the presence of the Lord and being with Him. There are many great prophetic worship artists who know how to usher in the manifest presence of the Lord. The wonderful thing about prophetic music is that it is always changing.
Benefits of Soaking
- Impartation. During soaking, God will drop words of knowledge, direction and discernment into our spirits. I believe He imparts wisdom and Scripture for a particular situation for us in the future or also for ministering to someone in the future. Did you ever think, “Where did that come from?” I believe that in these moments of soaking with God, He does some deep impartations that we use at a later time.
- Resting. Often as we soak, we will not even know what we receive. You might feel like you are almost in a state of a deep sleep; yet you are conscious. I believe we receive much during these times and sometimes God simply does it because we need to rest, be refreshed and refilled.
- An act of worship. By stilling ourselves to rest in His presence, we are telling God that He is important enough for us to stop what we are doing and just be with Him. We are giving Him first place and worshipping Him by doing this.
There is no right or wrong way to soak. You can use any of the above suggestions as the Holy Spirit leads. The only thing you need to do is come with a receiving heart, put in some music and sit back or lie down and relax and receive or rest in the Lord. There are times when we feel we aren’t hearing from the Lord. It is in those times that we need to soak the most. Soaking is wonderful, and during soaking, you will discover and encounter a level of intimacy with the Lord that you have never known.
God loves for us to be in His presence, and I pray you will be blessed by your time together. {eoa}
Kathy DeGraw is the founder of DeGraw Ministries. She is a passionate about leading people to a new place in their worship and releasing the love and power of God. She travels hosting conferences, teaching schools and evangelistic love tours. Kathy enjoys writing and is the author of several books that educate, empower and equip people. You can learn more about soaking in both of her books, A Worship Woven Life and On My Knees Again in Worship. For more information visit degrawministries.org.
Ron Allen 
Eddie Hyatt 
Michael L. Brown