Yawns in the grocery line, fatigue in the voices over the phone, and dozing in the theatre confirm that weariness permeates our society. All around us, we observe people who are drained by unresolved office conflicts, depleted by researching solutions for aging parents, exhausted by ongoing financial roadblocks, and tired of praying for a prodigal.

While summer’s seasonal delights (snow cones, baseball games, s’mores, reunions, picnics, fireworks, outdoor activities) may well bring refreshment, the need for rest remains with us year-round. And, life has taught me that true rest, the quality we hunger for in the depths of our souls, can only be found in a Person.

Summer Secret #1

Rest is Discovered in a Person

“My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from Him.”

“Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my home comes from Him.”

(Psalm 62:1, 5)

Return with me to a morning decades ago in Warsaw, Poland, when I desperately needed God. Ensconced in a cocoon of solitude, I pondered life. Though the concrete walls on two sides nearly touched my shoulders, the nook was mine — a haven.

Seclusion came at a high price with three small children in our home. Larry graciously fed them breakfast in this season of our lives so that I could be alone with Jesus. Morning after morning, I returned to my sanctuary to meet with the Lord. The effort was worth it; He always met me.

On this dismal fall day, I gazed out the window. A thick morning fog hung heavily in the air; the trees had no leaves. Coal pollution poured from smoking chimneys. Across the street, the neighbor’s house looked abandoned in its unfinished state of construction. Indeed, a lifeless, gray-colored everything.

I needed these moments, and I needed the rich, steaming, black coffee served in my favorite mug. Life felt like a runaway express train, with my husband as the conductor. At this warp speed, vulnerability tossed me about like a cork in a churning sea of chaos.

Shoving aside challenges of a clandestine pioneering ministry, shutting out communist propaganda, and slamming the door on the voice of the enemy of my soul, I came to my only source of strength, and I prayed, “Lord, I need something to lift me out of my quagmire.”

Opening my Bible to the next portion of Scripture in my ongoing plan, I read Daniel 4:34:

“I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven, and my sanity was restored.” What? I read and reread the verse: “I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven, and my sanity was restored.”

As spiritual reality slowly sank in, I nearly shouted. “That's it!” Incredulous, I devoured the words that crafted this high-impact statement.

God's message was clear: Look at Me — not at the nasty street, not at the crummy weather, not at your lack of sleep, not at the Communists, not at the distance from family, not at the needs of the little ones you so love, not at your husband’s daunting schedule. No, Look at Me.

Sitting in my sanctuary — in a brown wooden chair at a brown wooden desk — a radical transformation occurred. “God, I choose to believe! If this worked for Nebuchadnezzar, this would work for me.” Choosing to look up, my faith focus shifted from my temporal circumstances to my eternal resources.

In that moment ... I changed.

The change proved genuine. My circumstances remained challenging. The needs of my family only escalated. And life’s speed still raced at full throttle. Yet, I began to discover a new, fresh, ongoing victory over not being controlled by my circumstances and pushed around by my problems.

Yes, on a cold, communist-era morning, God highlighted one verse with His holy illumination: I raised my eyes to heaven, and my sanity was restored. In my concrete cubicle, I learned a lesson for life:

To look down is to be discouraged.

To look around is to be disappointed.

To look within is to be disillusioned.

To look up is to see Him!

A secret emerged that has stood the test of time: God is the Source of true, lasting, ongoing rest.

[Taken from Pulling Back the Iron Curtain, Light for the Soul of a Weary Mom]