Wildfires have been raging across Europe this summer sparked by an intense heatwave. Firefighters are currently battling to save land and property in Spain, Portugal, France and Croatia. Nearly 3,000 firefighters are battling the flames in Portugal alone. Temperatures have been climbing in the UK, with wildfires blazing around the country from Yorkshire to Dorset. Britain’s highest ever recorded temperature is expected at the beginning of next week.

So where do you go to cool off? Having lived in London for many years, I know first-hand that escaping the heat in a city can be almost impossible unless you can find somewhere with air-conditioning. Even on ‘the Tube’, many metres below ground, the heat can be overwhelming. And when your energy’s low, it’s not just the heat that you want to avoid, but the traffic, the crowds and the noise. Even in the peace and quiet of the countryside, the complexities of Twenty-First Century life can sometimes cause us to cry: “Stop the world, I want to get off!”

Of course, cooler temperatures aren’t the complete solution. In moments of stillness, it’s that inner peace that is so important for our mental and spiritual wellbeing. So, where do we go to for spiritual refreshment?

Searching the ancient scriptures brings to light many words of wisdom for the thirsty soul. Through them we find that the source of our refreshing is not a place, but a person: Jesus the Messiah. It’s as we seek Him in the stillness that we find true spiritual satisfaction. Consider these age-old promises; let them melt in your heart as you take time aside from the summer heat.

“Seek me and live,”

Amos 5:4 (ESVUK)

“As a deer pants for flowing streams, so my soul pants for you, my God.”

Psalm 42:1

“Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within him.”

John 7:37 (NIVUK)

“Whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

John 4:14 (NIVUK)

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Matthew 11:28-30 (NIVUK)

“You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.”

Jeremiah 29:13 (ESVUK)

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Try these Meditations to calm your soul.