Daily Devotionals for Women - Today's Encouraging Word from Scripture

A Prayer for When We Go on Vacation
By Kyle Norman

Bible Reading:
“Jesus said to them ‘Come away with me. Let us go alone to a quiet place and rest a while.’” - Mark 6:31

Listen or Read Below:

Summer has arrived, and along with it, the need to plan our vacations. Where will we go? What will we do? What activities will fill the time? We long to fill our vacations with new places, new activities, and new experiences. Our vacation is a furlough from regular living, a break from the deluge of demands we normally live with. As followers of Jesus, how might we enjoy our vacations? Are we called to engage in our summer respites in a particular way, a deeper way, a spiritual way?

Scripture may not speak of “summer vacations”, yet it does speak of the divine call to rest. Jesus calls the disciples to come away to a quiet place and rest (Mark 6:31). He invites us all to release our burdens before him. For the people of God, this call to rest is intertwined with the wider call to be with their Lord.

Too often we line up our vacations with a tiresome schedule of activities or demands. Sure, these activities are memorable and fun, yet as soon as our vacations are defined by a “must” or an “ought”, rest becomes elusive. At times, the demands of the vacation can easily rival the busiest of work weeks. We uphold an unrealistic picture of what we will do, who we will see, where we will go, and the fun we must enjoy. In fact, we spend more time focusing on the next activity, so that we never give ourselves the time to stop and enjoy the moment at hand.

Sound familiar? I know it does to me. Have you also experienced ending your vacation more tired than when you began? There is even a term for this experience: “vacation recovery” it is called. Vacation recovery is when we feel that we need a vacation to recuperate from the vacation you just had!

Such exhausting leisure is not God’s vision for our times of rest and re-creation. Rest, true rest, calls us to stop the frenzied ways of an activity-bound life. Resting is a countercultural act; it is revolutionary in nature. It heralds our liberation from an enslaving empire concerned only with production, busy work, and commerce. Resting from our toils frees us to stop, breathe, and sleep. In doing so we claim who ware as children of the living God, alive, loved, and free.

Of course, rest is not the negation of activity; it is the negation of demand. We can still do things during our vacation; we are just not mastered by lists or demands. Stepping into rest-focused vacation reminds us of God’s constant care. God is God and we are not; thus, we are free to embrace places of frivolity and joy. We can lie in a hammock or take a nap on the beach. And what we often find is that, when we feel at ease, rested, and restored, worship and adoration flow freely from the depths of our soul.

So, how might you plan your vacation from the standpoint of rest, not activity? What might it look like to view your vacation as a sanctified time of re-creation. Vacations are rooted in the gracious love of God, a grace you are invited to experience and participate in. May that grace sanctify your time, unlock your worship, and lead you into a deeper experience of the Lord.

Let's Pray:

Gracious Jesus, I thank you that you are the Lord of life and recreation. You call us times of reconnection, times where we step away from the busyness and franticness of life to attend to your grace and love. Lord, thank you for never leading us into intolerable scrambles of overwhelming fervor. Still, this call to step away from the busyness of life can be hard to hear – and hard to accept. I can so easily fill my days with tasks and demands. The list of things to do takes priority of how you call me to live. I know, at times, I even cultivate such an attitude while on vacation.

Lord, as I step into a time of vacation, may you help me recognize your presence with me. Help me to treat my time of vacation not just as a time away, but more as a time with you. Help me to worship you more deeply in this time. Give me a time of rest rooted in the releasing of all my burdens to you; and in this rest may I find my deepest satisfaction. Lord, my prayer for my vacation; I pray it is a time where I end this time with a deeper sense of your presence in my life. This I pray all of these things in the precious name of Jesus.

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The Reverend Dr. Kyle Norman is the Rector of St. Paul’s Cathedral, located in Kamloops BC, Canada. He holds a doctorate in Spiritual formation and is a sought-after writer, speaker, and retreat leader. His writing can be found at Christianity.com, crosswalk.com, ibelieve.com, Renovare Canada, and many others. He also maintains his own blog revkylenorman.ca. He has 20 years of pastoral experience, and his ministry focuses on helping people overcome times of spiritual discouragement.

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