Power Of The Pause

[Preached by Pastor Kenneth Chin at Acts Church Malaysia on 10 November 2018]

What is your word for the day – caught up? busy? overwhelmed?

There is power in taking a pause.

Read | John 8:3-9

When the Pharisees questioned Jesus about what should be done to the woman who was caught in adultery, rather than responding to them immediately, Jesus stooped down and started to write on the ground. 

He took a pause. 

When they continued to question Him, He stood back up and said, “Let any of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” 

And this time, the people paused. 

Because of this, the woman’s life was saved. Jesus said, “Go now and leave your life of sin”, which gave her the opportunity to repent and start afresh.

Although by law she deserved to be stoned, she was given a second chance because Jesus paused, and subsequently, her accusers paused. 

Things can indeed change in the pause: the sounds we hear, the thoughts we have, our perspective.

A moment of pause can bring restoration, reconciliation, healing, repentance, and an opportunity to take responsibility for what we are going through. 

How many times have we not paused and found ourselves in our worst accidents?

At the traffic lights, while waiting for the lights to turn green, what is our attitude? Are we impatiently focused on the lights of the opposite traffic, so that we can immediately make a move when their lights turn red? Or have we paused to look at our own lights instead?

Do not act, respond or make a rash decision. We need to pause to check where our hearts are and where we are in our lives. Look at your lights and focus on what God has to say to you instead of what others are doing. 

Another word for pause is to wait. 

Read | Isaiah 40:31 
But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.

Pressing the pause button is not the same as pushing the stop button. 

Taking a pause does not mean we will never do what we are doing. It is only a pause. 

In our everyday life, let us not merely continue with our routines. Learn to take a pause, to pray, to wait on the Lord, and to give thanks. There is a pause button in our lives. Let us use it to sharpen our spirit.

#decadeoflegacy2030

Written by Writer’s Ink 
Edited by Hailey Chung