Psalms 61:1-3 NIV — Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer. From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe.

Yesterday I shared with you the acronym P.R.A.Y. = pause, reflect, ask, yield. Today I share a poem that encourages us to “practice the pause.”

When in doubt, pause.

When angry, pause.

When tired, pause.

When stressed, pause.

And when you pause, pray.

As I have written before, I like to light a candle when I have my devotion time in the morning. As suggested by Julie, my mantra for 2024 will be “light the candle.” Instead of only lighting a candle in the mornings during devotion time, I will also light candles in the afternoons and evenings when home. I even took the time to change all the batteries in my remote controlled candles. Over the last week I have enjoyed pausing and lighting our house with the soft glow of candlelight. I encourage you to take the time to pause and light the candle. Practice the pause in life and refer to the above poem when life is overwhelming. 

Let’s pray. Dear God, thank You for gentle reminders to pause. Speak to me in the moments of pause and help me to light the candle. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.