Well a few weeks ago Lauri and I left for Florida at 5:45 PM on a Sunday night. I prefer to drive to Florida in one straight shot, and I prefer to drive it at night. 1009 miles. The four big “C’s” of Columbus, Charleston, Charlotte and Columbia are all so much easier to navigate at night with no traffic; especially on a Sunday. During the day Charlotte can be a nightmare — but not at 3 AM — I zipped right through it!
Sometimes, I can cross entire states without kicking off my cruise control — at least until I come upon a semi going 67 passing another semi going 66 — but even then, I can be patient, because it’s basically just me and the truckers.
Some time after midnight Lauri will make herself as comfortable as possible and drift off to sleep (hey, you should see how big the backseat in my truck is, it makes a comfy bed). And then it is just me and the road. The quiet hum of the engine… the gentle thump of wheels over concrete road seams… and a solitude that I actually look forward to and enjoy.
Alone with my thoughts, I will often ponder spiritual considerations. Oftentimes, those considerations will prompt me to prayer. I really do enjoy spiritual daydreaming (er… daydreaming at night… not sure how to say that). As I let my mind wander along paths blazed by the Spirit I feel my soul being refreshed. Perhaps that is why I can seldom sleep when we arrive at our destination, even though I have been awake all night.
I daydream of things like Heaven… what WILL it be like? I daydream for our church family… how can we do more for the Kingdom of Christ? I day
dream of my walk with Jesus… just how can I walk more in step with Him? I daydream of bible passages… this past trip it was the Sermon on the Mount. I daydream of the return of Christ… please Lord, let me be ready. I daydream of grace… just how does God mete it out so freely? And… full discloser here… I eat snacks and drink sweet tea too.
Do you ever do spiritual daydreaming? If you don’t… you ought to give it a try. Find a place and time where your heart can be quiet, and then just start thinking about God. You might be surprised where the wind of the Spirit will blow your thoughts. I think David made a practice of spiritual daydreaming. I mean how else could he have written such Spirit prompted Psalms? How about this one:
When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor. You made them rulers over the works of your hands; you put everything under their feet: all flocks and herds, and the animals of the wild, the birds in the sky, and the fish in the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas. Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! Psalm 8:3-9 NIV
Yep… sounds like spiritual daydreaming to me. I guess the more biblically appropriate term is to “meditate on God’s Word,” but I am a simple man… spiritual daydreaming works just fine. Give it a try… you might feel your soul soar.
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