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Original Canvas of Delight · The Holy Pause

• 0:00
  [music]
• 0:05
  SPEAKER_00: It is good to praise the Lord and make music to your name,
• 0:08
  SPEAKER_00: O Most High,
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  SPEAKER_00: proclaiming your love in the morning and your faithfulness at night to the music of
• 0:15
  SPEAKER_00: the ten-stringed lyre and the melody of the harp.
• 0:18
  SPEAKER_00: For you make me glad by your deeds, Lord.
• 0:22
  SPEAKER_00: I sing for joy at what your hands have done.
• 0:25
  SPEAKER_00: How great are your works, Lord!
• 0:27
  SPEAKER_00: How profound your thoughts!
• 0:30
  SPEAKER_00: Senseless people do not know.
• 0:32
  SPEAKER_00: Fools do not understand.
• 0:34
  SPEAKER_00: That though the wicked spring up like grass and all evildoers flourish,
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  SPEAKER_00: they will be destroyed forever.
• 0:44
  SPEAKER_00: It is hard sometimes to find the simple joys of life, is it not?
• 0:48
  SPEAKER_00: I know I find it very easy to list my struggles,
• 0:51
  SPEAKER_00: my never-ending to-do list,
• 0:53
  SPEAKER_00: my woe is me, I'm so busy mantra if someone asks me how I'm doing.
• 0:59
  SPEAKER_00: The disease of busyness dictating my value is one I know all too well.
• 1:04
  SPEAKER_00: So when a passage of scripture simply tells me that I am senseless
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  SPEAKER_00: if I don't know why I should be singing for joy at the love of God,
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  SPEAKER_00: I suppose I take pause.
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  SPEAKER_00: And then, when my defenses go down, I see what is really being said.
• 1:20
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm humbled.
• 1:23
  SPEAKER_00: There is something sacred about simply looking around us.
• 1:26
  SPEAKER_00: The morning light through the trees.
• 1:29
  SPEAKER_00: The rhythm of rain.
• 1:31
  SPEAKER_00: The sound of birds.
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  SPEAKER_00: The steady changing of the seasons.
• 1:36
  SPEAKER_00: Nature quietly reminds us that we are not the center of the universe.
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  SPEAKER_00: We are part of something beautifully and wonderfully made by God.
• 1:45
  SPEAKER_00: And we are called to be joyful about it.
• 1:49
  SPEAKER_00: When we put down our martyr sticks of lists and busyness and overscheduledness,
• 1:53
  SPEAKER_00: we can see the unbelievable beauty all around us.
• 1:57
  SPEAKER_00: The short walk I got to take by the lake a few weeks ago.
• 2:00
  SPEAKER_00: The woman who kindly let me in front of her in the grocery store line
• 2:03
  SPEAKER_00: since I only had two items.
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_00: The rhythms of my kids' lives, even if it's a fast-paced rhythm.
• 2:10
  SPEAKER_00: They both teach them about the world and also bring them joy.
• 2:13
  SPEAKER_00: It's all a gift to be celebrated if I change my lens.
• 2:19
  SPEAKER_00: Psalm 92 also reminds us that we may not always understand what God is doing.
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_00: Verse 6 speaks of those who fail to recognize His purposes.
• 2:29
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes we can be so busy, worried, or distracted that we miss what is right in front of us.
• 2:36
  SPEAKER_00: But creation slows us down.
• 2:39
  SPEAKER_00: It calls us to wonder.
• 2:41
  SPEAKER_00: It helps us lift our eyes beyond our immediate circumstances and remember
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  SPEAKER_00: the magnificent creator behind it all.
• 2:48
  SPEAKER_00: So today, pause.
• 2:51
  SPEAKER_00: Take a breath.
• 2:53
  SPEAKER_00: Look around.
• 2:55
  SPEAKER_00: There's a small joy to be celebrated right in front of you.
• 2:58
  SPEAKER_00: You only have to notice it.
• 3:05
  SPEAKER_00: What is one thing you can sing praise for today?
• 3:09
  SPEAKER_00: One small thing.
• 3:11
  SPEAKER_00: If you haven't noticed one yet, there is your challenge.
• 3:13
  SPEAKER_00: Put down the laundry or the cell phone or the to-do list.
• 3:17
  SPEAKER_00: Close your eyes and just breathe for a moment.
• 3:20
  SPEAKER_00: Then open them.
• 3:22
  SPEAKER_00: What do you see anew in that moment?
• 3:34
  SPEAKER_00: Join me in prayer.
• 3:36
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you for the works of your hand and for the constant care you have for your children.
• 3:41
  SPEAKER_00: Teach me to notice your goodness and respond with gratitude.
• 3:43
  SPEAKER_00: Amen.
• 4:08
  SPEAKER_00: This podcast was written by Katherine Piper and recorded
• 4:12
  SPEAKER_00: by Reverend Elizabeth Troyer with audio engineering and editing assistance
• 4:16
  SPEAKER_00: from Jermaine Taylor.
• 4:17
  SPEAKER_00: This podcast will always be free.
• 4:20
  SPEAKER_00: But if you would like to donate to our online ministry,
• 4:22
  SPEAKER_00: you can do so at wakeforestpres.org slash gift.