Time To Stop

He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. – Psalm 23:2-3

Many of us “go, go, go” all the time. Maybe that’s you. Maybe you feel the need to constantly be productive, getting as much done as you can in your waking hours. But have you ever been forced to lie down and stop? Maybe you had to stop because something physical happened to you, and you needed rehab or healing. The only way healing would come was for you to stop, breathe, and rest.

Many of us think we are being unproductive when we are at a standstill. But if you are always on the go, you will eventually “red line” and blow your engine! Often, God will make us slow down and stop for a moment so we can reap the benefits and resting and resetting. This is a blessing that comes from Him. That is why the Scripture says, “He makes me lie down.”

Notice also in today’s key verse that He puts us in green pastures. Have you ever thought that in providing for us, God slows us down in the very place where we need to put roots down to find nourishment? As a believer, one of the most important things you can learn is how to feed yourself. You could be in a green pasture but never eat. That is why God takes His sheep to green pastures; it is so they will be nourished and grow in Him.

I don't know where you are right now. If God has given you a moment when you are in neutral and going nowhere, He wants you to understand something. He desires that you experience His provision right now.

You might think that unless you are moving, you are not being productive. The truth is that you get more productive when you stop. After you stop, you are ready to move forward. If you try to move forward before you are ready, you will not have the energy you need for the rest of the journey.

Don't be afraid of being in neutral. Because of the shepherd's love and care for your life, He has put you right where you need to be.
Posted in
Posted in , ,

2 Comments


Betty Jane Laughlin - March 18th, 2024 at 7:55am

I used to be treasurer in an organization and doing ministries in my church. I was constantly on the go. I had to choose between some things. I gave up the position of treasurer and I feel more like where God wants me to be. I can concentrate more on what I need to be doing. I did have medical reasons to slow me down at times.

Kelly - March 22nd, 2024 at 7:09am

I never knew that verse meant to be still basically before moving on. Reset.



Its's definitely true

Recent

Archive

 2024

Categories

Tags

Kingdom abandoned abandoning abandon ability abondoned acceptable acceptance accepted accepting accept accomplishment accomplish accordance accountable acknowledge actions activity addiction admitting admit adoration advancing advice affection affirmation afraid aligned aligning align alive allowedd allowed allowing allow almighty altered amazing amount anxiety anxious appeared appearing apply approaching approach argument arrogant assurance assures assure attend attention attentive attitude audience authority banished baptized beaituful behaviors behavior beieve beliefs belief believed believeibng believerrs believers believer believes believe believing belong benefits biblical blend blessed blesses blessings blessing bless blossomed bond brokenhearted burdens burden burial buried capable careful cares care caring carving celebrate challenges chance change changing charges charge churches church claiming clarity climate combat comfortable comforting comfort commanded commandment commands command commitment committed communicate communicating communion community companionship companion compared comparing comparisons compassion competition complete complicated compliment comprehend compromised compromise concerned concerning concerns concern confessed confess confidence confident conflicts conflict confrontation confronting confused confusion connected connection connect consider consistent contact contentment content context contradict control conversation convicting conviction convict convinced convince corrected correcting courageous cover created create creation critical crucial crucified crucifixation crucify culture cure curiosity customers daily death decided decide declaration dedicated defend deflection deliberate delivers denomination denying departure depression describe description deserved deserves deserve desie designed desired desires desire desiring desrtuction destiny determine devastated develop devotional devotion dictates dictate difference different difficult directing direction directly direct disappeared disappoint disciples disciple disconenct discouraged discovered discover discuss display disruptions distance dividend educated education effort eliminated embrace embracing emotional emotions emotion emplower employer empower encoraged encounter encouraged encouragement encouragers encourages encourage encouraging encouragment endured endure energy engaged engagement engage engaging enjoyed enjoys enjoy enouragements enslaved ensure equation equip eternal eternity ethical evaluate everlasting evil example excited excitement exciting excluded expand expectations expectation expected experiences expression express extended faithfully faithfulness faithful faith family famous favor fearful fear feelings feeling fellowship finisher finish fire focused focusing focus followed followers follower following follow fooled forgave forgiveness forgiven forgive forgiving fortunate forward foundation founders freedom free freidnships fresh friendship friends fulfilled fulfillment fullness future gathering gave generation generosity generous genuine gifts gift given givers giver give giving glady glad glimpse glorfiy glorified glorify glorious glory godly goodness gospel goverment grace gracious grateful gratitude grave gravity grieve grope growing growth grow guidance guided guides guiding guilty guilt handling happiness happy hardship healed healing health heal hearing heartbreak hearts heart heaven help hesitate holy honest honorably honored honoring honors honor hoped hopefulness hopeful hopeless hopes hope hoping horror humanity humbly identified identify identity ignited ignorant ignore imagine immature impacted impactful impact impatient importance important including inevitable influence information inherent innocent inspiration inspired inspires instance instant intended intensity intentional intentions interceding interesting interest interpretations intimately intimate intrude investment invitation invite itimacy journey joyful joy justifying knowing knowledge known laborers labor leadership leaders leader leading lead leaning learning learn legacy lonely longing lordship loved loves love loving manipulate marriage married mature mediator meditate meditation membership members memeber memorable memory merciful mercy message mindful minds minister ministry miracles miracle miraculous missing mission moment motive moun notice nourished nourishment obedience obedient obey obligation observer observe offering operate opinions opportunities opportunity oppressed outcome overcome overcoming overpowered overpower overwhelmed overwhelming ownership painful parenting partnership passage passing passion pastors patient peace peae perception perfectly perfect perform perishing perish persecuted perseverance personally personal perspective plan pleasing political pondering positioned position possibility powerful power praised praises praiseworthy praise praising prayed prayerful prayers prayer praying pray preached preachers preacher preaching preach prepared prepare presence present pressure prevent pride primary principle probelm problem process proclaim produce productive promised promises promise promote prosperous prosper protecting protection protect proud proved prove provides provide providing provision purify purity purposes purpose pursuing raises raise realized realize realizing reassured rebelling rebellion receive recieved recover recuperation redeems redeem redemption redemptive referring reflection refuse reignite rejected relationships relationship religion religious remedy remember remembrance reminds renewal repeated repentance repent represent resisted resisting resist resolution respect responsibility rest resurrection retreat return reveals righteous ritual royalty running sacrifice safest safe salvation satisfied satisfies satisfy saved save saving scriptual scripture secured security seeking seek selfish sensitive seperated seperate seperation sermon servants servant served server serve service serving shame shaping share sharing showed significance silence silent sinful sinless sinners sinner sin solve soul speaking speak spiraling spirirt spiritually spiritual spirit spread srve stability standards standing strengthen strength stressed stressful stress strong struggles struggle struggling submit substain successful success suffering supply supported supportive support surrendered surrender surrounding surround survived talents teachable teachers teaches teachings teach tears temptation tempted testify thoughtful thoughts through thrown together tolerance tradition translation treat trouble troubling true truly trusted trusting trustworthy trust truth trutyh unbelievers uncomfortable understand unshamed utilize validation valuable values value verbally victory violated vulnerable waiting wants watchful willingly willing wisdom wise witnessed witness wonderful wondering wonder worried worrying worry worshipping worship worthy wrath