Before teaching on the mystery of rest, I must begin with my own story, because revelation becomes more powerful when it is backed by experience. My journey into rest did not begin in comfort; it began in crisis. It began in foreign lands. It began in tears. It began in seasons where nothing made sense.
My European Wilderness: Three Years of Closed Heavens
About 20 years ago, I lived in a European city where everything seemed to work against me. No matter how hard I tried, nothing moved. The heavens felt like brass, and every effort produced frustration instead of progress. I laboured, studied, applied, worked, and prayed, yet nothing shifted. I was pursuing an engineering career, believing that was the path to success. But every door remained shut. Every opportunity evaporated. Every attempt to rise was swallowed by stagnation. It felt like I was living under a spiritual embargo.
After three years of unfruitfulness, I threw myself into intense prayer, seeking clarity from the Lord. I cried out for direction. I begged God for understanding. I asked Him why nothing was working. In that place of prayer, God gave me three life‑changing instructions.
Instruction 1: “You Are Not Aligned With My Purpose.”
