Be Still: 30 Devotions for the Hopeful HeartSample

Practice Pausing

The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. LAMENTATIONS 3:25 ESV

The Apple watch is pretty neat. It takes into account many different factors throughout the day and offers insight into our personal rhythms. I have found it extremely informative in showing my habits and tendencies.

The discovery of my own personal rhythm forced me to change some things. I was going to sleep way too late and not getting my heart rate up first thing in the morning—and everything else was being affected. Making these changes initiated several other habits, as once I began getting more rest and getting my workout completed first thing in the morning, the rest of my day offered different opportunities. My Apple watch also allows me to set different alarms, including reminders to breathe and slow down. While it seems unnecessary, these often come at the perfect time and have made me realize how little I used to pause.

Pausing is much the same for all of us. Is there ever an opportune time to slow down when we have so much to do? It feels counterintuitive and unproductive. Childish, even. But much like the habit of going to sleep earlier, carving out time for intentional solitude affects every other part of our day.

Meetings will pop up, e-mails will need to be sent, children will be sick from school, and opportunities to avoid pausing will always present themselves. But much like any other habit or desired change in our life, the more we practice something, the better we get at it. The more we see the results of a particular discipline, the easier it becomes to require it of ourselves. The further we get away from where we once were with a particular habit, the clearer it becomes that change was, in fact, necessary.

How can we practice pausing in life today? Are we afraid of what the Lord might reveal when we stop long enough to hear Him?

Let’s let our hearts slip into that restful state—pausing and remembering to be grateful, collecting our emotions, resuming our posture of peace, and choosing a different rhythm for our lives.

Eventually, we will not even need the alarm to go off! How exciting will that be?

Dear Jesus, thank You for being present at all times. Today, we choose to pause and notice Your presence and provision. When we get frustrated with our wandering minds, give us grace to extend to ourselves. Help us pause. In Jesus’s name, amen.