Take a break
In our hyper-connected world, the culture of entertainment and incessant notifications lead us to live at a frenetic pace. In the Bible, the psalmist's heart is often renewed after the break as he stands in silence before God. How about taking a break? Discover what God wants to do in your life as you stop to stand before Him.
Take a break to worship Him
"He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”" (Psalm 46:10)
The word "selah"-which means "pause with God"- is used 71 times in the psalms. 39 psalms contain one or more pauses. These pauses could be musical since the psalms were originally sung. But it is more than just an indication to breathe between verses.
If we often talk about worship songs, did you know that you can also honor God with your silence?
When a crowd is silent to listen to a person, it is a sign of respect and honor. The larger the crowd, the more deafening the silence, the more important the person before whom one keeps silent.
"The Lord is in his holy temple ; let all the earth be silent before him!" (Habakkuk 2:20 NEG)
The whole world is called to be silent before him. For God is God!
Silence before God is a language of love. It is offering him quality time. Jesus asks us to pray with exclusive attention, that is why he taught the disciples who asked him how to pray to close the door of their room when they pray. Closing the door also means taking a break from solicitations and distractions. Today, even more than closing our door, we have to turn off our phone, TV and computer. Standing in silence before God is a time to focus on him and not on us.
"And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit." (2 Corinthians 3:18)
As we contemplate him, in silence, we are transformed in his image. Silence is an act of worship that pleases God. What if you pause in silence just to stand before him and worship him by offering him that precious thing: your time?
Lord, here I am before you, I am here for you and I set my attention on you, I reach out my spirit to you, Father.
I suggest that you take 5 minutes of silence before God, the time for a break.
Take a break to receive his peace
Have you noticed that it takes several days when you are on vacation to dissipate work stress and accumulated fatigue? Jesus is the prince of peace, but his peace cannot be experienced in a few seconds, we must rest in his presence to let his peace calm our heart, our thoughts and even our body.
"Stay in peace, and see that I am God. I will be glorified among the nations; I will be exalted on earth." (Psalm 46:10 SEPTANT)
We are invited to cast our anxiety on Jesus.
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28)
How long does it take to really empty our bag of worries before God? The bag is empty when our heart is at peace. People pay to find peace in a spa, for example. You don't visit a spa, you stay there for a few hours doing nothing to enjoy the calm and to relax. You are not a machine, you need to come into the presence of God to be resourced. The peace of Jesus is free and available to all. What if you took a break to put on His peace and let it saturate your whole being?
"Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." (1 Peter 5:7)
Today, I invite you to take a break to unburden yourselves on God and receive his peace.
Father, I come to you to unburden myself of what weighs on my life. These are my problems, what concerns me (name them to Jesus), I give them to you. Speak your peace to me. Lord, I open my heart to you.
Take 5 minutes (or more) in silence before God to let His peace saturate you.
Take a break to rest in it
"If a house is not built by the Lord, those who build it labor unnecessarily; if a city is not kept by the Lord, the one who keeps it keeps watch unnecessarily. It is useless that you get up early, go to bed late and eat bread earned with difficulty: he gives so much to his beloved ones while they sleep." (Psalm 127:1-2)
Do you need rest? Do you lead a hectic life? What are you running after? Is it the fear of missing that drives you to run? Have you put all your energy into making a project, your business or your family a success, thinking that you can only count on yourself? What if you were wasting your time and energy trying to do what God wants to do for you? Did you know that God wants to participate in your success?
He promised Joshua this if he would take the time to meditate on his word. You can't meditate while running, Bible meditation requires taking time to stop. Rest is a commandment from God, it allows us to recharge our batteries, to cultivate our relationships with those we love, and to stay healthy physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. Life is long, you must take care of yourself. God wants to take care of you if you really invite Him into your life.
Few people on their deathbed regret not having spent more time at the office. On the contrary, many people end their lives alone because they have not cultivated their relationships with their loved ones.
To rest is an act of faith, it is to believe what Jesus said: "Every day is enough suffering." (Matthew 6:34) Personally, I had to learn to rest without feeling guilty. Valuing non-productive and recreational time has been a journey.
I challenge you to pause and pray for this situation that is troubling you about your child, your spouse or your work. You are not alone, pass the baton to God and allow yourself to rest regularly, He will bless you. Spend a day without your phone, without checking your emails. Get out of your house so you don't have to clean up and enjoy your children and friends.
I invite you to pray with me:
Lord, I decide to trust you and not to rely on my own strength. I invite you into my schedule. I stop so that you build with me my family, my ministry, my work, in the name of Jesus, AMEN.
Take a break to listen to Him
"While they were on their way, he entered a village, and a woman named Martha received him. Her sister, called Mary, sat at the feet of the Lord and listened to his word. Martha, who was busy with many tasks, came and said, "Lord, don't you care if my sister lets me do the work alone? So tell her to help me. The Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and restless about many things. Only one is necessary. Mary has chosen the right part: it will not be taken away from her." (Luc 10:38-42 NBS)
Listening to God may seem like a waste of time to an unbelieving person or like laziness to a hyperactive person. Yet, the words of Jesus are spirit and life, giving directions and communicating revelations for our lives.
Mary could have helped her sister, yet she chose to pause and stand at Jesus' feet.
I have a secret to reveal to you : if you are waiting until you have nothing more to do to listen to God, you will never make it!!
Jesus encouraged Mary, saying that she had chosen the best part. Indeed, it is a proactive choice to stop and listen to Jesus, the best choice. To do so, we must learn to say no to the many solicitations and distractions to set ourselves apart and listen to him. What Jesus will communicate to us will give us energy, peace, consolation and creativity for what we have to do.
Jesus doesn't expect you to do more for Him, He wants you to spend more time listening to Him. Jesus says that this is the only thing you need. Indeed, without Him, we can't do anything. That is why we cannot let ourselves live without hearing the sound of his voice in our minds.
I develop in detail how to hear God's voice in my book Listening to God, which you can download the first 3 chapters.
Habakkuk says he takes his stand at his watchpost to see what God will say to him. Watching God takes time, but nothing replaces His word in our lives. Why don't you take a break to listen to it?
I invite you to pray with me:
Lord, here I am before you, I stop to listen to you, what do you want to tell me?
Have a break to change perspective
"A psalm of David. When he fled from his son Absalom.
Lord, how many are my foes! How many rise up against me! Many are saying of me, “God will not deliver him.” Pause" (Psalm 3:1-2)
As King David fled from his son who wanted to kill him, he turned to God and changed his perspective, aware that this situation was the consequence of his own sin.
Do you feel surrounded by your enemies? Does anxiety seize you, paralyze you, prevent you from sleeping? The more you focus on your problems, the more anxiety will increase, the more despair will envelop you. You should not listen to your enemies, but to God.
Your guilt makes you isolate yourself, but God reaches out to you, takes a time in his presence instead of running away. Pause in God’s presence is the only way to find peace, his peace. It is also the only way to strengthen yourself in his presence. Psalm 23 tells us that God prepares a table before the presence of our enemies. Seeing the table is not enough; we have to sit and eat so that we can receive God's strength.
"But you, Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts my head high. I call out to the Lord, and he answers me from his holy mountain. Pause." (Psalm 3:3-5)
After this pause, David changed his perspective. He laid down his guilt on the throne of grace and remembered that he was not alone, but that God was there to defend him. He cried out to God and heard his answer. The fact of crying out to God did not give him strength, but it is the answer he received by standing in His presence that did.
"I lie down and sleep; I wake up, for the LORD is my helper. I am not afraid of the thousands of people who besiege me on all sides. Arise, O LORD, save me, my God! You slap all my enemies, you break the teeth of the wicked. Salvation belongs to the LORD. May your blessing be on your people!" (Psalm 3:6-9)
After the next pause, he becomes triumphant! Not only is he no longer anxious, but also he sleeps peacefully!
If you feel like a fugitive, take a break from God to change your perspective! Spend time in His presence to hear His voice. His response will sustain your life and lead you to your destination safely.
Lord, here I stand before you. I fix my eyes on Jesus. Give me your perspective and lift up my head. Answer me so that I can still walk with my head held high. In the name of Jesus, AMEN.
David Théry
Practical teachings to experience God