I don’t know about you, but weathering the heat of Summer always is a drag to me. I’ve lived in Texas all my life, and I still don’t like the oppressive heat and humidity. It drains me physically, but also mentally and spiritually. My whole person is suppressed by the continuous heat we live with during our Summers. I simply dread this time of year for that reason.
What I have learned to enjoy about this time of year is the slower pace of life. People don’t seem to rush around as much. We all seem to take everything slower.
As I’ve aged, slower does seem to be a better pace for me. Its not that I can’t get in a hurry when I need to, I just don’t feel the need as much as I may have at one time. The slower pace helps me to be more thoughtful about what I do, what I say, and even what I think.
Slowing down gives me the opportunity to enjoy each moment, to savor what each moment gives me. I linger longer over those times that are nostalgic to me. When I think of family and friends in my life over the years I like to linger. I get a wistfulness for times past. I tend to remember the joys much more than the hurts or painful times. When I see photos that make me smile, I enjoy them for longer periods of time as well.
Slowing down is especially impactful to me when it comes to my prayer life. I don’t rush through it as I once did. Its not a box to check off, but rather a time of complete surrender to the God who I know loves me beyond measure. I find I can talk to God, pouring out all that is in me, and I have no need to rush to hear an answer. God listens at all times, and speaks when the time is right.
The prophet Jeremiah reminds us in 29:12…”Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.” God is always ready to listen to us. In the slow times, that gives us great comfort, knowing when we speak, God is listening.
I don’t always know what to pray for, and because of the slow times, I’m okay with that. I simply feel the need to be in God’s presence listening for what God will say to me. Paul tells us in Romans 8:26…”In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.” I really keep that verse close to my heart, knowing God will pull out of me what my needs are. Especially the unspoken needs, the needs of my heart.
One of my most favorite passages of scripture is found in the Letter of James 1:19…”Let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger”. One commentator says…”While this is often applied to human relationships, it is highly relevant to prayer: it encourages us to spend more time listening to God and less time rushing through our requests.”
Maybe I’m beginning to enjoy the Summer more than I thought. Maybe the writer of Ecclesiastes 3:1 is right on point when we read…”To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.”
I pray for each of us that the Summer will be a great time for us to be in a slower pace. Hopefully we will slow down and really place ourselves in a position to enjoy the presence of God, and listen with ears slowed down enough to hear.
Your companion on the Way,
Pastor Tom