“Be still, and know that I am God.” — Psalm 46:10

We live in a world that seems determined to keep us moving. Our schedules are full, our phones constantly demand our attention, and even when we finally stop physically, our minds often continue racing.

But what if one of the most important things we can do in prayer is simply be still?

In this episode of the Bold as a Lion Prayer Podcast, Tom Henry and Pastor Danny Pankey explore the stillness of prayer and why genuine prayer begins not merely with speaking to God, but with slowing down enough to recognize who He is and listen for His voice.

Pastor Danny and Tom examine how modern life has conditioned us toward hurry, noise, distraction, and constant activity—and how easily that mentality can invade our prayer lives. Instead of building our lives around communion with God, we can find ourselves trying to squeeze God into whatever time remains.

But prayer calls us to something different.

Stillness reminds us that God is God and we are not. It restores perspective. It helps us recognize our mortality, our dependence upon Him, and at the same time the incredible value God places upon us. The Creator of the universe desires relationship with us.

The conversation also looks at the example of Jesus. Jesus intentionally withdrew for solitude and prayer, yet He was never too hurried to be interrupted by someone who needed Him. His life demonstrated an unhurried love—a life completely centered upon the Father while remaining available to people.

In this episode:

• Why prayer begins with “Be still”
• How hurry can become an enemy of spiritual life
• Why technology can make stillness increasingly difficult
• The danger of trying to fit prayer into an already overcrowded life
• Learning to listen instead of only talking to God
• Remembering who God is—and who we are
• How Jesus practiced intentional stillness
• Developing an unhurried love for God and people
• Removing distractions that interfere with prayer
• How stillness prepares us to recognize the prompting of the Holy Spirit

Maybe the answer isn't simply finding a few more minutes for prayer. Maybe we need to reconsider what receives the first and best portions of our lives.

Before you speak, before you ask, before you rush into another day:

Be still. Know that He is God. And listen.

Join Tom Henry and Pastor Danny Pankey for this challenging conversation about slowing down, making room for God, and allowing stillness to transform the way we pray.

Bold as a Lion Prayer Podcast
Helping believers develop a deeper, stronger, bolder life of prayer.

Tom – tom@sharpeningmen.org

Pastor Danny – RevDPankey@sbcglobal.net

What does it really mean to pray boldly?

Bold prayer isn’t necessarily loud prayer. It isn’t trying to force God’s hand, and it certainly doesn’t mean that every request will immediately be answered exactly the way we want. Biblical boldness is something deeper: it is the courage to come into God’s presence, the faith to ask, and the persistence to keep praying when the answer doesn’t seem to come.

In this episode of the Bold as a Lion Prayer Podcast, Tom Henry and Pastor Danny Pankey explore the power of bold, persistent prayer.

Through the story of the Canaanite woman who came to Jesus on behalf of her daughter, we see a woman who refused to allow obstacles, silence, culture, or discouragement to stop her. She kept coming. She kept asking. She kept believing. And Jesus ultimately commended her great faith and answered her request.

The conversation also turns to Jesus’ teaching in Luke 18 about the persistent widow—a woman who simply refused to quit seeking justice. Her persistence becomes a picture of one of the great principles of prayer: we ought always to pray and not lose heart.

Pastor Danny also shares the deeply personal story of his grandmother, a woman who lived with physical struggles but maintained sheets of names and prayer needs tucked inside her Bible as a daily prayer list. Some requests remained there for years. Once someone made her prayer list, she kept praying for them - and Pastor Danny explains how his own ministry today is part of the continuing fruit of those persistent prayers.

But persistence is only part of bold prayer.

Through Jesus Christ, believers have been given something extraordinary: access to God.

Hebrews 4:16 tells us to come boldly before the throne of grace. We don't have to wonder whether we're permitted to approach Him. Jesus has opened the way. God isn't merely the distant Creator - we have been invited to know Him as Father.

Prayer, therefore, isn't simply about getting answers. Prayer is about relationship.

You don't have to be a pastor, theologian, prayer expert, or "special" Christian to talk with God. You don't have to be perfect before you come. You have been invited into His presence.

So what have you stopped praying about? Your children? Your family? A marriage? Someone who needs salvation? A situation that hasn't changed? A burden you've carried for years?

Maybe it's time to put it back on the prayer list.

Keep asking.
Keep seeking.
Keep knocking.
Keep coming boldly before the throne of grace.

There may be seasons for many things in life, but there is never a season to give up.

“The wicked flee when no man pursues: but the righteous are bold as a lion,” Proverbs 28:1

Connect With Us

We would love to hear from you, pray with you, and hear what God is doing in your life.

Pastor Danny Pankey
Email: revdpankey@sbcglobal.net

Tom Henry
Email: tom@sharpeningmen.org

Listen, share this episode with someone who needs encouragement to keep praying, and join us as we continue learning what it means to become bold as a lion in prayer.

Be bold. Be persistent. And keep praying.

What does it really mean to pray boldly? And what happens when prayer becomes more than a routine and begins to look like a genuine conversation and partnership with God?

In this special bonus episode of the Bold as a Lion Prayer Podcast, Pastor Danny Pankey sits down with Cassie Dunn and Lorrie Merritt for an honest and encouraging conversation about bold prayer, creative prayer, persistence, friendship, and learning to seek the heart of God.

Cassie shares part of her personal journey through a breast cancer diagnosis, chemotherapy, and the powerful role prayer has played throughout that season. Rather than searching for the perfect prayer formula, she describes learning to approach God from a place of victory, trusting Him even when circumstances and emotions tell a different story.

The conversation also explores what it means to pray with “shameless audacity”—asking God for things that seem impossible, continuing to pray when the answer doesn't come immediately, and refusing to give up simply because circumstances haven't changed yet.

Lorrie shares the importance of standing on God's Word, remaining consistent in His promises, and being willing to ask a different question in prayer: instead of only asking God to address what's on our hearts, what if we stopped and asked, “God, what's on Your heart today?”

You'll also hear practical ideas for breaking out of routine and praying creatively - changing locations, walking while praying, singing prayers, praying Scripture, and finding ways to refocus your attention completely on God.

And throughout the conversation is an important reminder: we were never meant to walk the life of prayer alone. God places people around us who can pray with us, encourage us, strengthen us, and sometimes remind us of what we believe when we're struggling to remember it ourselves.

The episode concludes with Cassie, Lorrie, and Pastor Danny praying specifically for everyone who will hear this conversation - that you would know God's presence, pursue His heart, and discover both the simplicity and power of talking with your Father.

If your prayer life has become routine, if you're waiting on an answer that hasn't come yet, or if you simply want to go deeper in prayer, this episode will encourage you to keep asking, keep believing, keep seeking God's heart, and keep praying boldly.

“The wicked flee when no man pursues: but the righteous are bold as a lion,” Proverbs 28:1

Pastor Danny – revdpankey@sbcglobal.net

Tom – tom@sharpeningmen.org