Have you ever felt God tugging at your heart to pause and stay awhile in His Word, even when your schedule demands you keep moving? This 3-day devotional explores what happens when we respond to the invitation to pause and ponder on the Word. Through examining Jesus’s ministry, King David’s meditation, and practical applications for modern life, you will discover how to move beyond superficial Scripture reading into deeper encounters with the Word of God.
Rachel G. Scott & Friends
Day 1
Scriptures: Matthew 9:35-37, Psalms 46:10, Luke 10:38-42
Have you ever had one of those moments as you were reading through the Bible where you had a solid plan of what you wanted to read, you felt good about the pace and progress you were making, and suddenly, God interrupted that flow? Well, that’s exactly where I found myself not long ago, as I was excitedly on track with my daily Bible-in-a-year reading plan.
It was the start of the year, and just as I was getting ready to check off that day, I felt this unmistakable tug on my heart to pause and stay awhile in a particular passage.
If I can be honest, I am guilty of sometimes getting so caught up in checking off my spiritual to-do list – read a chapter, say a prayer, move on with our day – that I almost miss the greater depth God is inviting me into.
Feeling the sense to sit in a scripture or passage of scriptures a little while longer as his presence creates a holy pause in my heart is what I like to refer to as lingering. It’s those sacred moments when He wants us to look deeper and simply sit still and listen.
This happened to me as I read Matthew 9, particularly when I came across verses 35-37. In this passage, we find Jesus in the midst of an incredibly busy season. The Scripture reads, “Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.” (NKJV)
Here’s what really struck me – in the middle of back-to-back ministry, healing, and teaching, Jesus paused. He didn’t just glance at the crowd; He truly saw them. He allowed Himself to be moved with compassion. This wasn’t a rushed moment; it was a divine pause that led to a deeper understanding.
As someone juggling full-time work, ministry, being a wife and mother, with kids in sports and college, I understand the pressure to keep moving. But here’s what I’ve learned: when I feel that divine tug to pause and ponder, it’s actually God’s invitation to receive something deeper. Just like my experience that morning as I sat in the Word, sometimes the most powerful moments with God happen in the midst of our ordinary routines – if we’re willing to pause and pay attention.
Pause and Ponder: When was the last time you felt God asking you to pause and linger over a particular scripture? What typically keeps you from accepting these divine invitations to pause?
Day 2
Scriptures: Psalms 119:15-16, James 1:22-25, Joshua 1:8
Reading the Bible is such an invitational and transformational experience. There are so many ways to approach our reading of the Word and so many reasons to engage it daily. One way I love to read through the Bible is to understand the true presence and nature of God throughout the Bible and in my everyday life. This deeper encounter with God through His Word can only come by way of a Holy and sacred pause.
But how can we know if God is inviting us into a Holy moment?
Here’s what I’m learning about truly pondering God’s Word. When you’re reading Scripture and suddenly feel like you can’t move on – like everything around you pauses – that’s an invitation. It’s God saying, “I have something specific to say to you right here, but I need you to sit in this place for a little while longer.”
Consider the words of King David in Psalm 119:15: “I will meditate on Your precepts, And contemplate Your ways.” (NKJV) The Hebrew word for meditate here literally means to ponder, to mutter, to speak to yourself. It’s about dwelling on God’s Word until it becomes part of you.
And James 1:22-25 tells us: “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves… But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.” (NKJV)
You see, there’s a huge difference between reading the Word and allowing the Word to read you. When we truly ponder Scripture, we’re giving the Holy Spirit permission to highlight areas in our lives that need transformation.
Pause and Ponder: What Scripture has God been highlighting to you recently? Are you giving yourself permission to pause and ponder, or are you rushing through your Bible reading?
Day 3
Scriptures: Isaiah 40:31, Mark 1:35
Have you ever been in deep conversation with someone who carries so much wisdom, and yet you had to fight the temptation to grab your cell phone, check text messages, scroll on social media, or respond to that “urgent” email rather than sit and soak in the wisdom being poured into you? I’ve been there more than once, and when I look back, I can see how I almost missed some life-changing opportunities because I wanted to be anywhere but in the present moment.
This is what we need to keep in mind when God is inviting us to ponder and linger in His Word. We are being asked to sit and listen to the one who carries all wisdom, knowledge, truth, and understanding. It isn’t a moment to be taken lightly.
When we sit with God, He is mending broken hearts, healing, restoring, and renewing our strength. This is what Isaiah 40:31 is talking about when it says, “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.” (NKJV)
Think about how Jesus modeled this in Mark 1:35: “Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place, and there He prayed.” (NKJV) Even Jesus, in all His divinity, understood the importance of these sacred pauses with the Father.
Now, let me get super practical with you about how to respond when God invites you into these moments of pondering:
- First, read what you just read again. Yes, again! When God highlights something, don’t rush past it.
- Pause and pray, asking God, “What do you want to say to me from this?”
- Always have a notebook ready. Write whatever He downloads to you. Write the Scripture out, put the date on it, and note the book, chapter, and verse. This becomes your personal record of God’s faithfulness.
- If you’re reading a Bible plan, if you move on in the following day, continue to go back and read that Scripture daily… You’ll know when He’s done speaking through it because you’ll feel a settling in your spirit – it’s a peace that tells you, “Okay, now I can move on.”
Remember, just like Jesus, we need these moments of holy hesitation. It’s in these pauses that God often speaks His clearest – when He transforms our understanding from head knowledge to heart wisdom. We need to learn to linger, to ponder, to let His Word sink deep into our spirits.
Pause and Ponder: What has God been trying to get you to pause and ponder lately? Are you willing to let your world pause when the Creator of heaven and earth has something to say?