3 Ways to Spend the Summer with God

Harriett’s Corner

An online friend of mine wrote a prayer years ago that contained the phrase, “Come summer with me, Lord.” The phrase stuck with me. I think of it often, especially as summer arrives. It reflects the desire of my heart and suggests at least three ways I can “summer with God” in the weeks ahead.

1.     Change Your Pace. The classic Gershwin lyric labels “summertime” as a season “when the ‘livin’ is easy.” The pace is different. Slower, yes, and perhaps quieter. So, if you summer with God, look for those opportunities to change your pace and invite God into it.

Take a walk, for instance, instead of reflexively driving somewhere nearby. Take a break, whether it is a beach vacation or a weekend away–or just a quick picnic in the park–find a time and place for some “down time” in which to send up a few prayers. Or, as the Gershwin song suggests, grab a pole and go where the fish are “jumpin’” (and God might be “speakin’”).

2.     Taste and See God’s Goodness. The psalmist David sang, “Taste and see that God is good” (Psalm 34:8, NIV). The sense of taste is one we often forget or neglect in making meaningful connections with God. But the tastes of the season can help us to summer with God.

Pour a tall glass of iced tea and summer with God as you sip. Slice a melon and pray for God to produce similarly rich fruit in your life. Invite friends to a cookout and pause a few times to mark the goodness of God in the gifts of food and friendship.

3.     Soak in the Sunshine. When was the last time you closed your eyes and let the sun warm your face? Or counted the clouds in the sky on a sunny day? Sure, you may need a little sunscreen–or you may live in a region that seldom sees the sun–but one of summer’s delights is the sunshine and shade that makes the outdoors so, well, “outdoorsy.”

Depending upon where you live and your daily schedule, you may need to be more intentional to soak up the sun, but try finding a way to enact the words of Scripture: “From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the Lord is to be praised” (Psalm 113:3, NIV).

I want this to be a different summer than many that have gone before. I want it to be a summer that not only includes God in my plans and experiences, but also one that includes me in His. I will say often, in the days and weeks ahead, “Come, summer with me, Lord.”