Dog Days of Summer

According to the dictionary, dog days refers to the period between early July and early September when the hot, sultry weather of summer usually occurs in the northern hemisphere. I believe the second definition, a period of stagnation or inactivity, goes beyond the natural drowsiness and inertia we face when the heat starts to slow us down. I’m talking about an attitude many of us develop concerning things of the Spirit as the year progresses. We don’t set out to take on this attitude, but if we are not vigilant to keep it away, it will make inroads in our lives, and we’ll find ourselves at the end of the year just about where we were at the same time last year. What am I talking about? It’s that mentality in which we back off pursuing God, or at least slow down, because the heat of our daily lives has increased. The excitement of the new direction is replaced by the reality of the commitment and discipline required to continue, and we allow the busyness of our lives to fill up our time.

This particular lesson has been stirring in my heart since the beginning of the year. As I worked with the churches of Forsyth County to include the ministry of Pray For Our Nation Forsyth County as they planned their calendars, I noticed the months fill up rapidly with churches committed to pray for our nation early in the year, especially during the month of January – many praying and fasting for multiple days. I also noticed the latter months of the year, particularly December, lagging way behind. I certainly understand how busy we are as a society, no less so as Christians, particularly the later in the year it gets. It is a stretch to make a commitment to pray and hope people will fit that into their schedules during that time of year. Why is it, though, that we are willing to give up meeting together to pray when it is a busy season, but we aren’t willing to give up other activities? Does God ever get drowsy toward us? And, about which situations would God like to make a difference through us in prayer in those times we are in a period of inactivity toward Him?

Many times, we start out the year planning to make a change in our prayer life. We do well in the beginning, maybe even doing an extended time of prayer and fasting to hear more clearly from the Lord what He wants for us. As the months roll along, we find ourselves bogged down with life and are back at the same level of prayer as before. By the time we get to the dog days of summer, our focus has gotten very fuzzy, clouded with what has already gone on and what is yet to come during the rest of the year. We may not be totally stagnant or inactive in our prayer lives, but we aren’t really going anywhere either. Our prayer routine truly has become a rut, and a change needs to be made. The only inactivity we need spiritually, though, is from the religious activity of prayer, not from what prayer really is.

Acts 17:28 (NIV) “For in him we live and move and have our being . . .”

We need to return to the reality that prayer is about an ever-growing relationship with our heavenly Father. The less time and energy we spend in getting to know Him (in praying), the less we know and have His heart, not only for those things which concern us, but for others, as well. It’s really a vicious cycle if you think about it. The less time we spend in vital prayer, really listening to Him as well as speaking to Him, the less enthusiasm we have about prayer at all. That leads to spending less time, which increases that stagnation, which causes us to spend less time, etc. It is only in Him that we will find life and the reason for living – and praying!

Do you see yourself or your congregation in the words of this prayer nugget? Let’s challenge ourselves and each other to renew our commitment to know our heavenly Father in prayer. Let’s start now, as if it were January all over again, to pursue the Lord in prayer and even in fasting to hear His heart, even though it means we must give up something else. Let’s make that latter definition of dog days of no effect in our lives or in the life of our churches. Let’s “seek the Lord while He may be found and call on Him while He is near.” Isaiah 55:6

© Copyright 2005 Kay V. Stocking