The great underground church leader Wang Ming-Dao said, “If you want to walk with God, you must do so at a walking pace.” So today, I want to encourage you to begin practicing statio. In the traditional sense, statio is a Christian monastic practice that focuses on denoting the moment between the moments, or the pause between times when you are doing things. Statio makes pause intentional, with a focus on resting in the moment. For instance, when you have an appointment, you don’t get there on time, you get there early and sit in your car. You take a deep breath, roll down the windows, listen to the birds, and pray and prepare your heart and mind for what you’re supposed to do.

Statio is a vital spiritual discipline that can prolong your life, but it can also make you wildly unpopular in a hurried world. In Southern California, it seems like everyone is rushing and no one understands an intentional slowing down of pace. To prove this, I conducted an experiment years ago after preaching on this subject. I decided that if I was going to preach statio, I should practice it, so I drove slowly in the right lane on the freeway and everybody hated me. I walked leisurely when I was in the city, even when people were bustling around me, and I got to places early and did things patiently, but I wasn’t popular for it.

Statio may cause you to feel like an outcast in a completely rushed world, but it can also transform your life. The Bible tells us repeatedly to trust the Lord, and the only way we can do that is by not rushing. Walk purposefully and passionately with God and position yourself to hear His voice in the moments between the moments. He is there and He will lead you, direct you and bless you — He is faithful!