A Prayer to Pull Away to a Quiet Place Before Autumn Hits - Your Daily Prayer - August 27

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A Prayer to Pull Away to a Quiet Place Before Autumn Hits
By: Whitney Hopler

Bible Reading:
“You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.” – Isaiah 26:3

Listen or Read Below:

Summer is winding down, and the predictable rush of autumn will arrive soon. Your calendar will fill up with activities like new school schedules, new work projects, and church community commitments. Fall is an exciting season, but it’s also a time when you risk losing your peace of mind because of stress if you get too busy.

Right now, you’re standing in a sacred window of time. Just before the autumn rush hits, you can use this time to pause, step back, and deliberately pull away to a quiet place.

It’s easy to believe this fallen world’s lie that rest is a luxury you only need on special occasions, instead of on a regular basis. You may tell yourself that it’s more reasonable to just push through this time before fall starts and be as productive as possible rather than to rest. But if you neglect your God-given need for regular rest, your well-being will suffer. God has designed you to rest as well as to be active. When you rest, you can connect with God more clearly than you can otherwise, since rest clears your mind of distractions.

Isaiah 26:3 points out that God gives perfect peace to those whose minds are steadfast in trusting God. If you want to prevent yourself from becoming burned out from stress when your fall schedule hits, you need to spend quiet time with God right now.

Having a steadfast mind means having calm, focused thoughts. If you don’t take time to pull away and rest with God, your mind becomes like a fallen leaf tossed around by the wind – distracted by the present and anxious about the future. Going into autumn with a mind like that can leave you easily overwhelmed by all the demands that will come your way then.

Pulling away to a quiet place is an important spiritual practice to include regularly in your schedule. It’s how you reset your focus. When you quiet the noise around you, you finally give yourself permission to hear the powerful yet gentle voice of the Holy Spirit. During quiet times, God’s Spirit reminds you of who he is and who you are to him.

Quiet time with God can help you build a spiritual reservoir to draw from during your busy autumn season. Filling yourself with God’s love and wisdom now can give you the spiritual renewal and revival you need. Then, when the busier days arrive, and you feel the pressure of a busy fall, you won’t have to scramble for peace. Your mind will stay steady because your foundation (which is your relationship with God) is strong.

It’s important to notice that Isaiah connects perfect peace to trusting God. If you don’t want to spend enough quiet time with God, it’s because you believe that your life depends on your own efforts. You can stress yourself out from being busy because you’re afraid that if you take a break, your life will fall apart. But choosing to pull away to a quiet place to spend time with God shows God that you really trust him to meet your needs.

So, let go of the pressure to jump into the next demanding season without catching your breath. Look at your calendar this week and protect a window of time just for you and God. Step away from your to-do list and go to a quiet place to pray and meditate. Sit in God’s presence, breathe deeply, and allow God to steady your mind with peace for whatever lies ahead.

Let’s Pray

Dear God, I can feel the upcoming autumn season approaching, and I already want to race ahead into the busyness of it. I confess that I often let my mind get cluttered with worries about tasks I need to complete, problems I need to solve, and other concerns. But right now, I’m choosing to stop worrying and start trusting you more. In this quiet place where we’re together now for prayer and meditation, please quiet the noise inside my soul. Send me your peace. I want to live with a steadfast mind that’s rooted in your truth, not a mind that’s constantly tossed around by changing circumstances. I surrender my need for constant productivity and choose to rest in your presence. I trust you to meet all of my needs, God. Thank you for taking good care of me so I won’t have to worry about taking the time I need to rest in quiet with you. As the seasons change outside, let your unchanging peace keep me steady. Thank you, God. Amen.

Share your reflections on today’s devotional in the Your Daily Prayer discussion on the Crosswalk Forum.

Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/ Helmut Hess

Whitney Hopler helps people discover God's wonder and experience awe. She is the author of several books, including the nonfiction books Wake Up to Wonder and Wonder Through the Year: A Daily Devotional for Every Year, and the young adult novel Dream Factory. Whitney has served as an editor at leading media organizations, including Crosswalk.com, The Salvation Army USA’s national publications, and Dotdash.com (where she produced a popular channel on angels and miracles). She currently leads the communications work at George Mason University’s Center for the Advancement of Well-Being. Connect with Whitney on her website at www.whitneyhopler.com and on her Facebook author page.

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