Do You Need a Praycation?

Do You Need a Praycation?

Who doesn’t need a reprieve from all the news lately? Who would not like to run away and stick their head in the sand right about now?

I admit, I can get quite caught up in it all. I research everything, and it can be a bit disturbing as I dig deep and see the spiritual aspect of things. Yes, we know God wins, but being in the fight doesn’t cause me to feel like celebrating (not just yet, anyway).

The other day I spent a couple of hours just reading my Bible, praying and listening to a podcast. I felt like I had been on vacation from all the negative. That’s when it occurred to me I had actually taken a sort of mini vacation from it all – a praycation.

In the kind of days we are living in, just popping prayers up here and there may not do enough to calm our spirit. Those quick prayers are great; they’re how we pray without ceasing (2 Thessalonians 5:17). But I, we, still need to retreat and spend time in the Word of God and fervent prayer for a deeper level of prayer and peace. Heaven knows earth needs our fervent prayers right now! But also, we ourselves need it. We need the strength, comfort and hope that come from extended, focused times of prayer and the Word. We need a praycation.

I think the Psalmists knew this feeling well. God is called a “refuge” and a “fortress “repeatedly in the Psalms. For example:

Trust in Him at all times, you people; Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. Selah  Psalm 62:8 NKJV

The Lord of Hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah  Psalm 46:7

My lovingkindness and my fortress, My high tower and my deliverer, My shield and the One in whom I take refuge, Who subdues my people under me. Psalm 144:2

And in Psalm 32:7, David called God his “hiding place.”

You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble; You shall surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah Psalm  32:7

Notice the word “Selah” at the end of these verses. That’s another mini vacation. It means to take a break from the song to pause and reflect on what has been said. It is used over seventy times in the Psalms. God must have felt these breaks were pretty important. So let’s look at the last verse again and actually pause and ponder it:

You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble; You shall surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah Psalm  32:7

To take a praycation is to hide ourselves in God and His promises and hope. And wouldn’t we all like to be preserved from trouble and delivered from whatever it is that distresses us?

I can’t help noticing the verses before verse 7 in Psalm 32. They talk about being forgiven because he has confessed. Perhaps we need a praycation just so we can do that. “Forgive us our debts…” After all, that’s what often-quoted 2 Chronicles 7:14 is all about – if we will pray and turn from evil, then God will hear, forgive and heal our land. If we want to see our land or our personal lives healed, I think we could use a praycation like that, don’t you?

Many of our lives have been halted because of the virus and now its resurgence. We feel stuck and can’t go many places. My husband and I haven’t been on a vacation in a couple of years. Regardless, we all can take a praycation. Jesus exemplified this by going off by himself often to pray fervently.

I encourage you to find a special spot and to set aside some extra time – perhaps time you would have spent going somewhere you now can’t go – and pray. Grab your Bible and spend some quality time in the Word and prayer. Perhaps you can start by pondering the verses above. If you can’t find the words to pray, I have written several prayers based on scripture that you could use to pray for our nation, etc. (see below).

Please begin with praying for those in Afganistan who need a refuge and fortress right now.

There is power in prayer! For sure, our families, our country and our world need our prayers.

“My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.” Psalm 62:7-8

Where’s your favorite place to have a praycation? I’d love to hear how God has been your refuge. I invite you to join the conversation in the comments here or on social media.

Prayer Ideas:

Prayer Is Not Cancelled

How Can We Pray for America?

Ten Ways to Pray for the President

Ann Graham Lotz prayer for Afganistan

If you would like to enhance your prayer life, I invite you to check out the book, Pursuing Prayer – Being Effective in a Busy World, here. Pursuing Prayer is ideal for group or personal study.

Download my free ebook, A Prayer Devotion and Coloring Page, here.