Jeffrey P. Wakeen
Stop to Move Forward
The more I stop, the more I move forward. That sounds backward for a business owner who is wired to push, but it has become one of the truest things I know.
My life verse is 1 Thessalonians 5:16–18: “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” For years I read “pray without ceasing” as an impossible standard. Who can pray all day while running a company, leading a team, and raising a family?
The answer, for me, has been the pause. Not a retreat or a long quiet time, though those matter. A pause. A small, intentional stop that turns an ordinary moment into an open door to God.
What a Pause Really Is
A pause is a temporary stop. A break, a rest, a hesitation in speech. By definition it is short, and it is not the end of anything. It is the space between one thing and the next.
That space is where wisdom shows up for me. When I rush, I run on my own instincts. When I pause, I make room for something better than my instincts.
Proverbs 4:7 puts it plainly: “The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom.” Wisdom is not something I manufacture. It is a gift from God, delivered by the Holy Spirit. James 1:5 promises that if any of us lacks wisdom, we can ask God, “who gives generously to all without reproach.” The pause is simply the moment I remember to ask.
The Pause in the Room
Recently I discovered I can pause in the middle of a conversation, especially with a client or a prospect. Those are the moments when the pressure to have the right answer is highest.
It happens in the space of a breath. The other person finishes a thought. Instead of firing back, I take a breath and silently pray: “Okay, God, what shall I say or do next?”
Nobody in the room notices. But something changes in me. I listen better. I ask a better question. Sometimes I say less than I planned, and it lands more. The pause becomes a prayer, and the prayer becomes direction.
Pause, Pray, Proceed
Over time this has settled into a simple cadence:
- Pause. Stop for a breath. Resist the urge to fill the silence or rush to the answer.
- Pray. Invite God in: “Lord, what do You want me to say or do next?”
- Proceed. Move forward with confidence, trusting the Spirit to guide the next word.
This rhythm gives me an intentional way to move a conversation forward. It lets me honor God in my work and relationships, not just on Sunday. And it has opened up a potential in meetings, partnerships, and decisions that I don’t think would have shown up otherwise.
The pause is not passivity. It is the most active thing I do all day, because it hands the next step to the One who already knows it.
The Pause as a Communication Tool
I run a communications firm, and I’ve come to believe the pause is the most under-used tool in communication. Most of us treat silence as something to fill. Great communicators treat it as something to use.
Here is what a single breath of pause does in a conversation:
- It makes you a better listener. When I’m not loading my reply, I actually hear what the other person said, and often what they didn’t say. “If one gives an answer before he hears, it is his folly and shame” (Proverbs 18:13).
- It sharpens your questions. The pause gives me room to ask the question behind the question, which is usually where the real need lives.
- It slows down reaction. A heated moment loses its grip when I stop for a breath. “Whoever restrains his words has knowledge, and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding” (Proverbs 17:27).
- It brings clarity and brevity. A paused answer is usually shorter and clearer than a rushed one. Fewer words, more weight.
- It honors the other person. A pause tells someone, “What you said matters enough for me to consider it.” That builds trust faster than any polished pitch.
- It signals confidence. Leaders who can sit comfortably in a moment of silence come across as steady, not scrambling.
The pause also lets the other person keep talking. Some of the most valuable things a client has ever told me came in the seconds after they finished a thought and I didn’t jump in.
And for the believer, the pause adds what no communication technique can: the counsel of the Holy Spirit. Colossians 4:6 says, “Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.” The pause is how I find out how to answer each person.
Invite Him into Everything
“The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof” (Psalm 24:1). If everything is God’s, then my family, my finances, my business, even the golf course and the ski slopes, are things He has entrusted to me to steward.
The pause makes “pray without ceasing” practical. It doesn’t require more hours in the day. It requires more moments of surrender inside the hours I already have. A pause before I respond at the dinner table. A pause before I sign. A pause before I react on the course. Each one is an invitation.
Scripture for the Pause
The Bible is full of this rhythm. Here are passages that support each step.
Pause
- Psalm 46:10 — “Be still and know that I am God.” Stillness comes before knowing.
- Isaiah 30:15 — “In quietness and in trust shall be your strength.” Strength is found in the stop, not the rush.
- James 1:19 — Be “quick to hear, slow to speak.” The pause is how I slow down my speaking.
- Luke 5:16 — Jesus “would withdraw to desolate places and pray.” Even the Son of God built pauses into a busy ministry.
- John 8:6–8 — Facing a hostile crowd, Jesus stooped and wrote on the ground before answering. A pause in the middle of a charged conversation.
Pray
- 1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 — Pray without ceasing; give thanks in all circumstances.
- Nehemiah 2:4–5 — A silent prayer in the middle of a conversation with a king.
- James 1:5 — Ask God for wisdom, and He gives generously.
- Proverbs 2:6 — “The Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.”
- Philippians 4:6 — “In everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”
Proceed
- Proverbs 3:5–6 — Trust in the Lord, “in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”
- Luke 12:12 — “The Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”
- Isaiah 30:21 — “This is the way, walk in it.” Direction comes after we listen.
- Proverbs 16:9 — “The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.”
Communicating Well
- Proverbs 18:13 — Answering before hearing is folly.
- Proverbs 17:27 — Restrained words and a cool spirit show understanding.
- Colossians 4:6 — Gracious, seasoned speech so we know how to answer each person.
- Proverbs 25:11 — A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver.
- Proverbs 15:23 — “A word in season, how good it is!”
Inviting God into Everything
- Colossians 3:17 — “Whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks.”
- Colossians 3:23 — Work heartily, “as for the Lord and not for men.”
- 1 Corinthians 10:31 — “Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”
- 1 Peter 4:10 — We are stewards of God’s varied grace.
Your Next Pause
You don’t need a new program to start. You need one breath in your next conversation.
This week, try it once a day. In a meeting, a sales call, a tense moment at home, stop for a breath and pray, “Lord, what’s next?” Then proceed and watch what He does with the space you gave Him.
Questions to Reflect On
- Where in my life do I rush past God because I think I already know the answer?
- What conversation this week would go differently if I paused first?
- Which area I steward (family, finances, business, recreation) have I kept to myself?
Pause. Pray. Proceed.
It may be the shortest prayer you ever pray, and the most productive step you take all day.
Jeffrey P. Wakeen
Founder & CEO, Wakeen & Company | Founder, Connection Mission
May you receive and experience God’s richest blessings and promises.
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible.
