John 7:38
Have faith in me, and you will have life-giving water flowing from deep inside you, just as the Scriptures say.”
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
As I write this devotional, a gentle, steady rain is falling. This time last year, we would have given just about anything for a late-July shower. Two months of record-breaking heat and virtually no rainfall had led to a landscape that appeared to be - quite literally - scorched. We were mandated to conserve water, and of course, our entire state was under a “burn ban”. Still, destructive grass and forest fires were prevalent… and devastating to plant, animal and human life. In late August, my husband and I traveled to Texas, and as we drove through an area of south Arkansas that had actually received some life-sustaining rains, the contrast in the landscape and “greenery” was distinctive – and telling.
I read through entries in my prayer journal for the summer of 2012. In mid-June, I asked God to send rain. On July 1st, I wrote, “WE NEED RAIN!” On July 2nd, I thanked God for 1½ inches of precipitation – at least in our yard! By the middle of August, I was once again asking God to send more rain. And late in the month, He delivered once again. But the blistering heat quickly erased the benefits of these infrequent showers. The drought was so serious in our area that people gathered in at least one local church to hold a prayer meeting… to specifically ask for rain!
Quite literally, we depend upon water for our very existence… and our survival. So the image of our salvation in Jesus Christ and our relationship with Him as that of “life-giving water,” is one that we can readily understand. We need His “Living Water” for our souls. We need the “hydration” of the Holy Spirit to give us guidance, wisdom, confidence, courage… and peace. And on a rainy summer afternoon as we remember a not-so-distant time without any precipitation, we find tremendous comfort in every precious drop.
Do you experience the same solace with each drop of Christ’s Living Water? Does His love, grace, wisdom, forgiveness, comfort and encouragement soothe you like a cool drink of H2O? Do you call on the LORD to provide you with “rain” for your heart and soul… or are you lost in a spiritual drought? Have you thanked God for the “rain” He has brought about in your life… and do you appreciate how truly life-giving our salvation through Jesus Christ is? Do you trust Him… for anything and everything? Can you believe that He knows far better than we do what is best in every circumstance? Do you have faith in Him to bring the “rain” that is necessary… and to care for you even in the “arid” slumps?
Is Jesus’ “life-giving water” flowing from deep inside you? Don’t you need Him in your life? Isn’t today a great day to let the Water flow…to quench yourself from the inside out, once and for all? In the words of a familiar praise and worship song, “Let it rain! Let it rain! Open the floodgates of heaven… let it rain!”
©2013 Debbie Robus
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