rest for the soul

I sat in the car today in the garage with the engine off.  It was a wonderful 20 minutes of peace and quiet.

In addition to my driveway, my view included the rusted, weed-covered barbed wire fence across the street that surrounds the farmer’s field. That captured my attention for quite some time.

Oh, and the big excitement was watching my neighbor’s cat check out our trash can in the corner of the garage. He’d walk over, sniff the air, stand on his hind legs to see what he could see, walk away, and then do it all over again.

I could have been studying Scripture, exercising, doing chores around the house or even writing this blog, but I decided I could spare 20 minutes for myself. Not for you, anybody in my family or anyone else. I needed time for me. And just me.

Selfish? I suppose. But I rarely just slow down and do nothing, letting my mind wander wherever it wants to go. In fact, I often try and do two things at once.

That probably explains why sitting in the car in the garage with the engine off was such a treat for me. Downtime is a rarity.

And the best part of those moments is how God ministers to me in the quiet. How God quiets my anxious thoughts. And how God brings peace to my troubled soul.

“Be at rest once more, O my soul, for the LORD has been good to you.”1

He has, you know. Been good to me.

Even though I could easily list a few pages of problems and challenges in my life right now, at the end of the day, in the quiet of the moment, I remember.

I remember how good God is. How good God has been to me.

How does all of this apply to you? I’m not sure. But if you’re stressed out, worried and/or having trouble seeing the gracious hand of God in your life, you need a break.

So here’s your assignment. Grab your car keys, walk out to your car, get behind the wheel, and then sit quietly for awhile. No music, no phone, and no reading (except maybe a Bible or devotional).

Let your mind wander. Let life pass you by. Let your heart rate go down. And let God minister to you in the quiet of the moment.

“Be at rest once more, O my soul, for the LORD has been good to you.”

1  Psalm 116:7