The Prayerful Pause
By Pastor Heather Webb
In this busy and noisy world, it’s sometimes difficult to press pause and truly
connect with God and with each other. In The Prayerful Pause, I will seek to
regularly share some thoughts from my heart to help us connect with God
and one another more fully.
This Week’s Prayerful Pause:
Pause and read Psalm 139
Prayerfully read and reflect on the devotional thought below.
For as long as I can remember, I have been afraid of heights. I don’t like roller coasters or rock climbing, and I would never go skydiving. Despite my fear of heights, God has helped me to live atop high mountain peaks and fly across the world several times. I have even learned to love gazing out of an airplane
window as I am captivated by the up-close abundance of billowy white clouds and the infinite blue sky outside.
While the scenery beside an airplane is beautiful in its own right, I confess that I am more fascinated by the view below. Buildings, houses, and cars seem so small and insignificant when viewed from the air. When flying at night, the plane’s distance from the ground reduces even the brightest city lights to tiny clusters of shimmering sequins that randomly dot an expanse of black. Large mountains, canyons, and rivers become shadowy indentions and ripples that merely interrupt the regularity of the terrain below.
My thoughts usually turn to the people on the ground when I gaze at the miniature size of things below. Sometimes I even find myself asking questions. Who is driving that tiny car? What stories would the family in that minuscule house have to tell? What troubles do the people in that distant city struggle with each day? While the responses to these questions remain a mystery to me, God knows the answers!
When I pause to consider God’s view of humanity, I am reminded that God does more than see us all at once. God knows each of us in intricate detail and lovingly calls each of us by name. The enormity of God’s love constantly surrounds us, gently sustains us, and faithfully guides us every day. Indeed, no matter where we are or what we are doing, God sees us and is present with us in all of life’s circumstances.
So, as we begin this new season of ministry together, my prayer is that we will be a church that pauses to remember and share these important truths in our life and ministry together: God sees us. God knows us. God loves us. God is always present with us! Amen.