“Jacob looked down his path as if it were the current of a great river. As he stared into the flow he saw the seemingly unending line of moments given to him. Then, like a man marking a trail, he began to put his prayer between the moments, making the common profound by pausing.” ~ Jacob’s Journey by Noah BenShea
Making the Common Profound by Pausing
I first read this passage in a devotion book by Ken Gire many years ago, and even today, the statement “…making the common profound by pausing” still impacts my life. In 2010, it inspired me to name my first website Pausing to Praise. I have found it is in the pausing that we really live, and it is in the pausing that we become aware of God’s presence in our lives. But it is not only in the pausing, it is also in the praise. When I read the passage above, I want to add two words so that it reads, “…he began to put his prayer of praise between the moments,….” God may be ever present in our lives and all of creation may be continually declaring his glory, but it seems we must pause to attune our hearts to listen. When we pause and consider all that fills each moment beneath the chaos of our busyness or brokenness, how can our hearts be filled with anything but praise?
Learning to Pause
In 2018 I began rebuilding my website and looking through pictures for a new banner, I was captivated by this picture of myself looking unto the sunset. I didn’t really know what I wanted until I saw it, but this picture captures both my heart and my actions through many seasons of my life. I still love this picture because what you don’t see – but what I am reminded of – is me frantically working while nervously glancing out the window hoping to wrap up my day in time to enjoy a cup of hot tea and watch the sunset.
But seldom have I ever been able – in any season of my life – to wrap up my day before sunset, so I have had to learn to pause and thank the Lord for just ten minutes to pause and behold the beauty of a sunset, or for two minutes to enjoy the sunrise or for five minutes to enjoy the sweet voice of a friend or for thirty seconds to watch a tiny horny toad scramble through the grass or for the fifteen seconds of a bird’s song. For it is in both pausing and praising those precious memories are forever embedded upon our hearts, and the intertwining of the past with the present weaves upon our soul a rich tapestry of grace. Even in the most difficult moments of my life, when I stilled my heart before God, I found grace and peace there in abundance.
Pausing to Praise
Life is meant to be lived, not in the bustle of daily life that leaves us gasping for breath, but in the pauses that take our breath away and fill our hearts to overflowing with praise. And so, I’m wondering how much richer our lives will be, if in the midst of our busyness, we pause and ‘put our prayer of praise between the moments.’
Thanks for sharing
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