When life’s put on pause, we have a unique opportunity to step back and assess where we’ve been, where we are presently and where we’re going. Life’s pauses have a purpose and we’d be wise to take cherish such opportunities. We can easily get caught up in the “busyness” of this world and lose sight of what’s truly relevant.
That’s not to say much of life is irrelevant. It’s just less relevant as we look at the big picture.
I can recall a number of pauses in my past. Perhaps the most significant was the four days spent in intensive care when I contracted double pneumonia in December 1992. Fortunately, Dr. Richard Danson was able to persuade me to admit myself into Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital before I became a statistic like Jim Henson, who did not listen to the advice of his doctor.
With one lung three-quarters filled with liquid and the other half-filled, I was a walking time bomb. That short hospital stay allowed me to pause and reflect on my priorities and adjust them accordingly.
Throughout the Book of Psalms you will find the word Selah frequently used. It’s a Hebrew word that seems to be used as a musical mark used by the musician/lyricist to cause us to stop and reflect on what was previously presented. As we read through The Psalms, we would be wise to pause and consider what God is presenting for our benefit.
Interestingly, this musical mark is also found three times in the Book of Habakkuk. The prophet’s revelation presents God’s greatness since the earliest days of humankind. He desires us to delve into the goodness of the God of the Universe and trust Him implicitly.
I can still recall those 18 months spent in a combat zone and realize how that time molded me in ways that strengthened me. During those times I was not close to God. But I can look back and see how He was always there watching over me.
He brought me back safely, and He’s been near me all along even though I could not sense His presence at the time. The period from October 1966 through April 1968 was a long pause that I’ll never be able to recapture. Yet I’m glad I was able to serve my country and the freedom we all cherish.
Electronic devices and software packages always have a pause feature so we can easily control the pace at which we choose to watch and listen. And in a similar fashion, God is in control of the pause button on this world in which we live, and I’m thankful He knows when we need to step back and take a hard look at where we are.
As we deal with the current coronavirus pandemic, I find great solace in knowing that our Almighty God is behind the wheel. He’s idling the throttle through the leaders He’s allowing to navigate us through these unchartered waters.
Let’s take a look at the beginning and ending verses of Psalm 46. The first four verses read: “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. Selah.”
Now let’s turn to verses 8 through 11: “Come and see the works of the Lord, the desolations he has brought on the earth. He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear, he burns the shields with fire. ‘Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in all the earth.’ The Lord almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.”
It seems appropriate to end with these words penned by King David in Psalm 5:11: “But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you.”
We can count on God to not only bring about pauses here and there, but to also be there during our time of need. May He receive the glory and may many come to Him for the shelter He gladly gives!
Passages to Ponder
— Jim Langley has been writing for more than 30 years while working as a life and health insurance agent in Santa Barbara. In recent years, his passion has turned to writing about his personal relationship with God, and his goal is to encourage others to draw near to Him as well. As a longtime member of CBMC of Santa Barbara (Christian Business Men’s Connection), he started writing Fourth Quarter Strategies columns in 2014, and he now reaches an international audience through the CBMC International devotional Monday Manna. He can be contacted at jim@fourthquarterstrategies.com for more information. Click here for previous columns. The opinions expressed are his own.