Water

Scripture: “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God.” (Psalm 42:1)

I don't like water. Odd as that sounds, I just can't seem to make myself drink any unless I'm really, really thirsty because I don't like the taste. But without water, we put our bodies in danger. Our organs don't work properly, our skin dries out, and the body swells as it tries to retain and conserve water when we don't drink enough. Our bodies are made up of 70% water (according to Wikpedia.com). So water is pretty important to our make up. So I discovered flavored water, and it has helped me intake much more water than I ever would otherwise!

In the bible, God made it clear that as important as water is to our bodies, so He is to our souls. There are many times, on a hot day, where I head straight for the refrigerator and drink as much cold water as I can, flavored or not. Why? Because my body is dehydrated, and “survival” kicks in.

So it is with God. How many of us ignore God until something bad happens, and like a mad dash to the fridge on a hot day, we plant our faces in the carpet and start talking to Him? By and large, you will find that drinking water throughout the day, (like spending more time with God), is so much healthier than waiting for your body to start begging for a drink – (or your spirit to mourn the loss of the closeness with God).

I was once asked in a bible study, “Do you have a running conversation with God throughout the day, or do you just talk to him occasionally during the week?” Like my water intake (prior to discovering flavored water), I had to answer honestly – I speak to Him occasionally during the week.

But in life, there is always room for growth and improvement. I'm working on both drinking more water, because I know it's healthier for me and teaching myself to have a “running conversation” with God throughout the day about everything. Not just hitting my knees when “survival” kicks in and I really, really need Him. Perhaps if I communicated with my Lord on a much more frequent basis, I wouldn't have to hit my knees quite so often or as hard as a desperate measure to draw close to Him. I would love to develop a relationship with God as described in Psalm 63:1: “O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.” The imagery is that of needing God every breathing moment, remaining constantly “thirsty” for Him. Oh that I could have that kind of relationship with my Lord!

Prayer: Lord, if only You could teach us all to thirst for You in our lives, to continually draw from Your bottomless well, keeping us close to You. Help us to increase our time with You throughout the day, no matter how busy we are, or what is happening in our lives. Keep us close to You always, not just when we are desperate after being away so long. Amen