PAUSE IT! That's what I say when I want my husband to stop the TV because I think I have something interesting or important to say. Now that there's "On Demand," we can pause at any time and recover our favorite show right where we left off. Maybe we lost a little TV time, but we invested in something more important—relating with one another. A PAUSE - is a temporary stop in action or speech; in technology, it's a button that allows for the temporary interruption of an electronic or mechanical process.. Pause in the Latin and Greek just means to stop.
This time of year moves at a rapid pace. Folks are consumed with holiday preparations. School is out which is either more relaxing...or not. Stores are filled, traffic is stressful, and finances can be tight. We're approaching the end of the year, which is a time of self-evaluation and reflection. If we're where we hoped we'd be, there's excitement—if not there are regrets. With life, job, and academic pressures, and our church moving...I was overworked, overwhelmed, and anxious. The remedy was to just bring things to a halt. Another word for halt or pause is standstill. A standstill is a situation or condition in which there is no movement or activity at all. Stand still as a command means come to rest. God gave this command to Israel in Exodus.
The Israelites were in the process of being delivered from 430 years of slavery to Egypt. Though God had wrought many plagues as miraculous signs to end their servitude; Pharaoh and the Egyptians believed they still held control over the people they'd owned for centuries. The children of Israel were out...but they weren't all the way out. Though they'd boldly left and spoiled the Egyptians; they were concerned that Pharaoh and his army would capture and return them to bondage. So the LORD devised a plan to have Israel camp along the shore and look like sitting ducks. He would harden Pharaoh's heart once more, and the monarch would give chase.
God declared, "I have planned this in order to display my glory through Pharaoh and his whole army. After this the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD!” (Exodus 14:4) The Israelites obeyed God's command and then looked terrified as Pharaoh approached. They cried out to the LORD and blamed their leader Moses for bringing them out to the wilderness to die. In verse 13 Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. 14The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.” It's hard for some of us to pause—to stand still and wait for the LORD to speak, to move, to fight, and to fix situations beyond our control. But that's exactly what God is asking some of us to do. | 
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