Welcome to your summer and all the part-time jobs, internships, old friend catch-ups and adjusting to being back with the parents, that come with it! I say 'summer'... it's pouring with rain as I write this and I'm slightly concerned I don't have wellies, a festival season faux pas. 

I don't know about you but when I think of taking a break, I'm looking for space. Craving it in fact. Space from social media, from studying, from a full diary. Space to breathe, think, hang-out in good company, pray about more than the immediate, dream.

Psalm 118 is one of those that commands us to give thanks to God, to remember why we can be grateful and look up. I specially love the line,

v5:

When hard pressed, I cried to the Lord;
    he brought me into a spacious place. 

With society seemingly boiling-over and fracturing in front of us, spilling out in leadership vacuums, mud-slinging media, xenophobia, bombings, shootings, and felt in a whole bunch of tremors through people's comfort and status quo, the need for God to bring us into a spacious place feels specially tangible.

Later on the same Psalm says,

V 8-9:
It is better to take refuge in the Lord
    than to trust in humans.
It is better to take refuge in the Lord
    than to trust in princes.

I love humans. I pray for the God-image in each of us to be what we see most clearly in humanity. But the truth is, we can't find security in humans to do the right thing and make the world more like the Kingdom. I love people but I take refuge in Jesus. 

Wherever you are this summer, whatever you're up to, I pray you follow the Father into specious places of rest with Him. And let's remember to pray for our leaders, our society, and those getting the hardest deal of all. We pray, and we put our trust in God.

No doubt see many of you in a festival field in the coming weeks, look out for the Fusion team and don't forget to spread the word to any school leavers you know to #LinkupNow using Student Linkup

Love and courage and space,

Miriam xx