Luke 7:37-38: 37 On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.”
John 4:13-14 13 Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
Recently I was reading about prayer, and in Mark 9:29 when Jesus is talking with His disciples about prayer, the Greek word is “proseuche” (Strongs 4336). It means prayer addressed to God; a place set apart, a synagogue. Such places were situated on the bank of a stream or the shore of a sea where there was a supply of water for washing the hands before prayer. I loved the fact that this noun is a feminine noun, just made it a little more personal for me.
It brought to mind one of my favorite verses in the Psalms - Psalm 1:3. I’ve always imagined a beautiful weeping willow tree next to a flowing river. It’s so peaceful and comforting – a place of nourishment where one can retreat and find rest and renewal. I have found that some of my closest times with the Lord have been when I’ve taken my Bible, a notebook and just gone to a local park or wooded area where there is a stream or river. There’s just something about that place -- the natural sanctuary crafted by my Father, where I feel most in His presence as the winds dance across the grasses and the water bubbles over the rocks in harmony with the praises sung by the birds.
So... when I pray I take this body, the temple of the Holy Spirit, and allow Christ to fill me to overflowing from within. It is a choosing to set myself apart to be nourished and renewed, drinking Him in and allowing Him to wash over me and flow through me.
I want to be a woman of spiritual substance, deeply rooted in Christ wholeheartedly -- passionately and solidly embedded in Him. I confess time and time again in my life these sinful, selfish feet of clay have uprooted like the trees that recently were destroyed by Superstorm Sandy. No long entrenched by the Living Waterbed of Christ, my faith has withered. Yet, in His mercy, love and patience my Abba has gently picked me up, replanted me, nourished me and brought me back to life in Himself. He tenderly washes away my sins and allows me to drink deeply of His waters until I am strong once more. I am always amazed at His love for me.
Oh Father, I want to consistently be rooted in You, moment by moment every day of my life. I want to be riverfront property, never moving again from Your side… or Your Living Water. Today I choose to lift my face to the loving warmth of Your Son, drink Him in, and wiggle my spiritual toes down a little deeper.
I love You.
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