Pause & Pray

Pause & Pray…

This has become a regular phrase in our household. In our haste to prepare the meal, set the table, and fix the plates, we often overlooked the most important piece of the entire meal: prayer. We were moving so fast that we hadn’t stopped to thank God for His provision, understanding that He alone was (and is) the Provider...our Source and Supply. We jumped from one task to the next without even pausing to take a breath in between. It was a pace that I didn’t want my daughter to adopt and that I wanted to leave behind. If 2020 gave me nothing else, it allowed me to slow down, be quiet, be still, and pause. As much as I wanted to rip and run, and hustle and bustle about my day, there was simply less. Not a whole lot less, but enough that I could see where there was always room for God, but I had filled the time and space with more and more tasks. And each of those pauses allowed for more time in prayer.

Here are a few things we have done in our home to help us pause and pray.

Quiet Time - Even if it's just 15 minutes, set the timer and give yourself and your child(ren) this dedicated quiet time. They may not pray during this time, but they are incorporating pauses that will make space for more prayer in their day. Setting a timer can help so everyone in the family has their quiet time without interruptions. Getting up before our children also helps us to capture those quiet moments before they wake. 

Pause & Pray - The phrase is not just a reminder. It’s also actionable! No matter the time of day or situation, pause (even if for 1 minute) and pray. Pause the show, pause playtime, pause reading the book, etc. And the emphasis is always on the fact that we’re simply taking a break or stopping an action temporarily. This may be hard for our children, especially younger ones, but it’s helpful to let them know that they can return to what they were doing. It’s like placing a bookmark on that page in your favorite book and coming back to it. 

Bedtime - When my daughter was younger, we created a prayer that she could memorize and say each night as she was learning how to pray and becoming more comfortable praying. As she got older, we encouraged her to speak to God from her heart (whatever was on her heart) and modeled prayer for her by beginning the nighttime prayer and asking her to finish. There were some nights that she did not want to pray, and we let her know that God loves her and that He wants to hear her voice, not just mommy and daddy’s. 

No matter when we pray or what we pray, let’s just pause and pray. Let’s create those pauses in our day and take time to simply pray...individually, with our children, and as a family.

in-sight: I can create moments of pause in the day to allow for moments of prayer in the day. 

Ephesians 6:18 At all times, pray by the power of the Spirit. Pray all kinds of prayers. Be watchful, so that you can pray. Always keep on praying for all the Lord's people.