John 4:14 – Whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty forever. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life. (ESV)
Our doorstep leads onto tarmac. The area is a sun trap, with a black surface that gets warm very quickly in the summer sunshine. We have a sizable pot of plants that sits in a tray outside the front door; the flowers bask in the sun, secure in the tray of water.
Recently, on a hot evening, I noticed that the flowers were drooping a little, despite having a tray full of water at the base of the pot. Caroline checked the soil to see how they were and found the top to be as dry as a bone! Fortunately, we had noticed the flowers in time, before any permanent damage was done by the interruption between water and roots.
It has made me wonder about how we as Christians can be so close to Jesus' eternal, life-giving sustenance and yet somehow find ourselves unable to reach out for it. We are stuck in our desolation of soul and dryness of spirit, stranded by situation or our own mental despond.
As we come to Him, I believe He will always gladly pour out His water of life and cleansing into our lives.
Like the flowers, it may take time to soak up this life-saving overflow of His love and be fully restored to life by the Spirit. However, we can rejoice that, despite appearances, God has once more set us free from our present dry spell of non-God-centeredness.
As we take with us today water that wells up to eternal life in our spirit, let us be prepared to be bold and pour out a prayer for a similar touch of Jesus on the wilted lives of our fellow sojourners. I know God will always fill up, sometimes little by little, those who are willing to receive as they reach out to Him.
Prayer: Lord, in the name of Jesus, we give You our whole-hearted devotion and our thanksgiving for Your grace, salvation, and favour imparted to us today. Lord, we ask that You water those who are stuck, disheartened, and forlorn, whom we bring to You. Holy Spirit, abide in us and guard us from all distractions and indifference to Your perfect will for our lives. Work in and through us today. Amen.
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