Vacation at the Dealership

There's nothing like a wait at the car dealership to just be. Oh, I could have made the wait more work efficient. I could have brought a laptop, made some phone calls, or made lists of things to accomplish, but instead I wrote an old-fashioned, hand-written letter to a friend. It's something I've been meaning to do for several weeks, just like getting the oil changed, and today it was possible to do both things. I was efficient! Philip Yancey commented that the beginning of the verse in Psalm 46, "Be still and know that I am God..." comes from the word "vacate" which is the root of the wonderful word "vacation." So Philip Yancey invites you to vacation with God. Be with God. It's hard to imagine taking a vacation at a car dealership in Dallas; there is no ocean breezes, no mountain vistas, nor fine art hanging on the wall to pass as a museum, but one thing they do offer is the opportunity to just sit still, and be. A dealership may not rate as a Top Ten resort, but it still offers the opportunity to vacation, if you will.

My prayer for the congregation?

Dear God, May we find the time to vacation with you, to sit still in your presence, and to know that you are God. We have errands to run, tasks to accomplish, and great needs that you have set before us, but there is also your instruction to be still. "Be still and know that I am God." Your command, O God, brings us peace but also brings into alignment our priorities and our power structure. You are Lord when I am still and when I am running full steam. You provide a constant vacation, if we will accept your invitation to be with you. Amen.