Fuel for the Soul

By Dr. James C. Denison
Pastor for Teaching, Park Cities Baptist Church, Dallas, Texas

Topic: help for stressed souls

Stop and smell the jet fuel. My father used to tell me that I needed to "slow down" when I was eating, or talking, or walking, or doing pretty much anything but sleeping. As Will Rogers said, the older I get the smarter my father has become. Now even the nation's airlines seem to agree with my dad.

Today's New York Times tells us that airplanes are flying more slowly these days and saving millions on fuel as a result. Southwest Airlines is extending each flight by one to three minutes, and thinks it will save $42 million in fuel this year. A Northwest Airlines flight from Paris to Minneapolis this week flew at an average speed of 532 m.p.h. instead of the usual 542 m.p.h., adding eight minutes to the flight and saving $535 worth of fuel. Adding four minutes to its Hawaii flights saves the airline $600,000 a year on that route. JetBlue apparently started all of this two years ago, adding an average of just under two minutes to each flight and saving $13.6 million a year in jet fuel.

Not everyone in aviation has joined the trend. An American Airlines spokesman said, "We have the flying schedule to protect." They'll agree with my father eventually.

So should you. We live in the most hectic, fast-paced, stressed-out culture in history. Our society is changing more rapidly than ever before. Sociologists speak of these days as "whitewater" times. We're rafting faster than we can row, with no real idea what's around the next turn in the river. For instance, today's Times reports that some on Wall Street think the economy has bottomed out and will rebound later this year, but others are quick to disagree. People are buying more small cars than ever as gas prices continue to escalate, but no one knows if the trend will continue. Everyone is wondering how next week's presidential primaries will affect the Democratic race, if they do at all.

In times like these, we will save more than jet fuel if we slow our souls down. For centuries, people seeking God have kept spiritual "hours," following a fixed schedule which stops to pray at various times through the day. The Psalmist said, "Seven times a day I praise you for your righteous laws" (Psalm 119:164), so liturgical traditions have often recommended prayer at 6 a.m., 9 a.m., noon, 3 p.m., 6 p.m., 9 p.m., and midnight. Other Christian communions follow the example of Psalm 55:17, praying when they rise, at noon, and before going to bed. What matters is not so much the specific schedule we choose as that we choose one.

When is your next appointment for your soul to meet with your Father today?
from: http://www.godissues.org/articles/categories/God-Issues-Today/This-Year/