Blog 9/ Still Waters and Sacred Pauses: Learning the Art of Rest
“He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul.” — Psalm 23:2-3
1. The World That Never Sleeps
The calendar screams, the inbox never blinks, and the clock glows long after midnight.
We measure worth by motion, crowns by exhaustion. Even the faithful have learned to baptize burnout in the name of productivity.
Yet the Shepherd of souls does something countercultural—He makes us lie down. Rest is not a suggestion; it is a command written into creation itself. Genesis begins with rhythm: work six days, rest one. Before humanity ever preached a sermon or chaired a meeting, God modeled a Sabbath.
To pause, then, is not laziness; it is loyalty. It is the quiet confession that we are not the center of the universe.
2. Sacred Pauses as Resistance
“My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”— Exodus 33:14
In a culture addicted to constant acceleration, rest becomes a revolutionary act. It is how believers resist the empire of endless output.
When Moses begged for assurance before leading Israel onward, God did not promise better systems or faster travel—He promised Presence. That promise still stands.
For those in leadership, ministry, or academia, sacred pauses are not retreats from purpose; they are recalibrations for purpose. Silence sharpens discernment; solitude strengthens empathy. The leader who refuses to rest will soon lead from depletion instead of overflow.
3. The Science of Stillness
Modern research catches up with ancient wisdom. Neuroscientists note that quiet reflection restores neural pathways the way a sabbath renews the soul.
When we cease striving, cortisol levels drop, clarity returns, creativity blooms.
Perhaps David understood this without a laboratory. Still waters restore more than bodies; they cleanse the noise that distorts hearing. In the hush, we remember that peace is not the absence of work but the presence of God within it.
4. Rest as Trust
“Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” — Matthew 11:28
Rest is faith made visible. To pause in the middle of unfinished business is to proclaim that God’s provision does not depend on our performance.
The Israelites gathered manna only for the day; on the seventh, they trusted Heaven to hold what they could not control.
Every modern believer faces the same test: can you rest when the to-do list mocks you?
Can you lay down the phone, the worry, the “what ifs,” and believe that grace is doing its quiet work overnight?
Trust is learned in stillness.
5. The Leadership Lesson
Higher education, corporate life, even ministry—each rewards visibility. Yet the greatest leaders in Scripture were often hidden before they were heralded.
Joseph learned stewardship in a prison; Elijah heard God in a whisper.
In leadership theory, reflection is described as the bridge between experience and wisdom. In the Kingdom, reflection is also the bridge between calling and character.
Without sacred pauses, success becomes performance art. With them, influence becomes ministry.
So, schedule your pause as fiercely as your next meeting. Protect it as holy ground.
6. Practical Ways to Enter the Still Waters
1. Micro-Sabbaths: Five minutes of silence between tasks. Breathe. Pray the Jesus Prayer.
2. Digital Fasts: Turn off notifications for an hour. Let absence become an offering.
3. Nature Communion: Walk without earbuds. Listen until creation preaches.
4. Scripture Meditation: Read a single verse slowly until it reads you back.
5. Reflective Journaling: End the day with two questions—Where did I sense God’s peace? Where did I resist it?
These are not hobbies; they are habits of survival for the soul.
7. When the Water Moves Again
Rest does not erase responsibility; it re-enchants it. After stillness, the same work looks different because the worker is different.
The Psalmist’s restored soul eventually walks “through the valley of the shadow,” but now fear no longer leads.
Rest prepares us for righteous movement.
When we finally rise from sacred pause, we carry peace that cannot be outsourced.
Closing Reflection
Prayer:
Shepherd of my soul, teach me the holy art of pause.
Quiet my mind until Your voice is the only sound.
Lead me beside still waters when the world rushes by.
Restore what hurry has stolen, renew what stress has shattered,
and let my rest become a testimony that You alone sustain.
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Dr. Courtney Nicole Johnson
Founder of CourtneyCoffeeChats
Bold Conversations, Brewed Fresh.
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