When you are not the One who fills me, I am soon filled with endless thoughts and concerns that divide me and tear me away from You. Only You can set my heart at rest, only You can let me dwell in Your presence.                                                            -Henri Nouwen

What thoughts and concerns are tearing you away from God today? Let’s not give general answers. Nope. This time drill down and name them outright.

                        Conflicts at work

                        Demands of small children

                        Loneliness

                        Injustices

Psalm 62:5-8 takes a noble stab at answering the original question. See if it lends insight to you:

“Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.”

How is God described? My rock (twice), my salvation, my fortress, and my refuge (twice). What picture does that form in your mind? For me, it is one of protection; I am not going my journey alone, and he will be my fortification when all manner of troubles are knocking at the door of my life. This leaves me at rest in my soul even if circumstances are not vastly different. Here we learn AGAIN that we need to be people of the word. God’s word is our plumb line in a world upside down. If we don’t know it, we cannot claim it. Commit to spending time daily in his word—try it for a month and let me know how your rest quotient changes!

What does Psalm 62 ask of us? Find our rest and our hope in GOD ALONE—not in our jobs, our health, people’s expectations, etc. I am told to TRUST HIM—not an easy task when the biting difficulties of life seek to gobble my soul. So how do we trust him? “Pour out your hearts to him.” Pray. Pray honestly, openly, consistently. I cannot tell you how this very verse has changed the course of my life.