Pause & Listen

 By: Joanne Viola

 

We hear it said so often, “Life is a journey.” These words turned my thoughts to God’s people, who indeed were on a journey to the land God had promised to them.

Having come far in their journey, they lodged by the Jordan River and waited for instruction on how to proceed.

They needed to pause, and take a temporary stop, before moving forward. Hear Joshua’s words:

“Then Joshua said to the sons of Israel, 
“Come here, and hear the words of the Lord your God.” 
Joshua said, “By this you shall know that the living God is among you, 
and that He will assuredly dispossess from before you 
the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Hivite, the Perizzite, the Girgashite, the Amorite, and the Jebusite.” 
(Joshua 3:9-10, NASB) 

In pausing, making a temporary stop in their journey, they would discover two critical things necessary to their lives, and for our lives as well:

Life unfolds at a quick pace, making demand upon demand upon us. News events are released to us immediately, even before all the facts have been obtained. Our phones ding with notifications and text messages so that our brains hardly have time to process.

Joshua’s words are just as needed for us today as they were for the people at the edge of the Jordan River.

• Pause.
• Come and settle your heart and mind for a bit in a quiet place.
• Hear the Word of God.

In taking these three steps something occurs in our souls: “By this you shall know that the living God is among you.” 

As we set time aside to pause and linger with God, absorbing His Word into our hearts, we find the strength and courage to continue on our journey.

A pause brings assurance we are not alone.
It reminds us God is with us in our circumstances.
As we pause, we will come to know Him even more. 

 

 

Reflection: 
Are you feeling your days are busier, more stressful, and like you can’t stop? What can you do to take a pause, a temporary stop, so that you can be renewed and encouraged for the day?

 

Image by Toàn Lê from Pixabay