The Power of Pause: When God Nudges and the Moving Boxes Follow.
I’m going to shoot straight—leaving the house we’re in right now was not an easy decision. If you’ve ever spent weeks commuting almost an hour one way—multiple times a week (let’s not even count the gas station stops, prayers that the deer roaming the sides of the country roads don’t decide to jump in front of your car, or my iMusic playlists on repeat)—then you know how quickly that can wear a person down. The drive itself has gotten...well, let’s call it gruesome. A commute we’ve been making for over 5 years now (Nashville and NC). And yet, packing up and moving wasn’t on our radar, especially when we only found this house 2 years ago. My husband and I figured that we’d likely always be in this house for years to come.
But God.
You know how those two words just change everything?
It all started with a nudge in August—one of those Holy Spirit whispers I couldn’t shake. I remember sitting there in church that Sunday morning, listening to the sermon, when I heard this in my spirit: “Get ready—you have three months.”
Three months? For what? I scratched my head trying to make sense of it, as if I could plan ahead for whatever God was up to. Fast forward exactly three months later, and there we were, putting our house on the market. Unplanned. Unexpected. Let’s be honest—unwanted.
But here’s the kicker. That same day in August—the day God nudged me with His timeline—we were at church. And wouldn’t you know it? A guest speaker with a strong prophetic gift calls us to the front.
I’ll never forget the words that came next: “You will not be where you live very long...God is moving you closer.”
That definitely got our attention.
Ten days later, we were in Asheville, NC, for ministry. We did worship for a prayer service—a beautiful gathering we weren’t even supposed to attend—and there it happened again. A dear woman, full of prophetic anointing, began to speak. And one of the words she shared?
Where you are living, you will not be there long.
You know that moment when God repeats Himself, and you realize He’s not just nudging—He’s pushing? Yeah. That was us. We heard Him loud and clear: It’s time to let this house go.
The Wrestling Match
If I’m honest (and let’s be real, I always try to be), this has been hard. I’ve spent the majority of my life following God’s leading—handing Him the reins, no matter where it takes me. That’s meant moving a lot—different states, different countries, different seasons—and often not living in a house for very long. Seven years is my record.
Growing up as a missionary kid, moving became second nature. But the older I get, the more I find myself wanting to settle—to stay put, plant roots, and pour everything into one place. I had that same wrestling match when God led us from Nashville to North Carolina. I thought that was it. I thought we were done packing boxes and pulling up stakes.
But here we are.
And here’s the thing—God sees the whole picture. I don’t. I can only see what’s in front of me—the house we’ve loved, the familiar walls, the sweet memories even in just two short years. But He’s not just moving us out of something; He’s moving us toward something. I may not know all the details, but I know this: His desires for my life are greater than mine.
It’s not easy, and it’s not comfortable. But I never want to be the kind of person who says, “Sorry, Lord. I’ll do anything You want, but I won’t do that.” Kind of reminds me of that old song, “I will do anything for love, but I won’t do that!” Admit it, you just sang that melody in your head! LOL!
The Power of Pause
So here’s where the pause comes in. After putting our house on the market, I did what anyone else would do—I downloaded a real estate app and started hunting for the ‘perfect’ house. And let me tell you, I was twisting myself in knots trying to find it. Tears streamed down my face as I was driving down the road one day, feeling a tad overwhelmed searching for “that” house—the one that would feel just right on a tight budget.
And then, so gently, the Holy Spirit whispered: “Stop looking for ‘that’ house and find the house for this season.”
That settled me—it’s like the peace of God took over the entire atmosphere of my car. So search continued but this time, I wasn’t looking for ‘that’ house anymore, but the house for this season. As anyone would be, still feeling the rush of needing to make something happen. I found a few houses that seemed to be the house for the season, and we pushed to make several offers. But barriers kept popping up. Every step forward felt like hitting a wall.
That’s when I heard: “Pause.”
At first, I bucked against it. Was that really You, God? Or was it just me? But the more we have tried to move forward, the more obstacles have appeared, and that nudge to pause became undeniable.
When our realtor called to talk about the hurdles we were facing, I knew what needed to be said. “We’re going to pause and wait until after Christmas.”
You could hear the relief in his voice. “I think that is an excellent idea.”
Yes, this pause might mean we could lose the potential offer on the house we found, and it also means there could be a gap between selling/closing our house (which I forgot to mention, is under contract) and finding the next one. But when the pause is God-led, you don’t need to worry about the gap or whether the house you found will still be there after the pause—because He’s already accounted for it.
And here’s something else: That unusually long due diligence period on our buyer’s contract? The one we didn’t counter but probably should have? God knew. He knew every barrier we’d face, and He allowed it for a reason. None of this is by accident. I don’t believe in mere happenstance. Every single thing happens for a reason.
Pause = Peace
Sometimes when the battle gets weary, the most faithful thing you can do is pause. Pausing allows you to take a step back, breathe, and remember who God is. It’s a chance to let go of the hustle, the stress, the anxiety, the sleepless nights and lean into His peace.
Psalm 46:10 says it best: “Be still, and know that I am God.”
So today, I’m pausing. I’m pausing to thank God for His faithfulness, even in the unknown. I’m pausing to let go of my timeline and trust His. And I’m pausing to find peace in knowing that the same God who brought us here is already preparing what’s next. This is HIS move.
If you’re in a season where everything feels chaotic or uncertain, don’t keep pushing against the barriers. Pause. Wait. Reflect. Regroup. And when it’s time to move again, you’ll know—because God will be in it.
Obedience doesn’t always feel good. But it always leads to good.
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What about you? Are you in a season where God’s nudging you to pause, move, or let go? Drop me a comment—I’d love to hear how you’re finding His faithfulness in the middle of the mess.