Spiritual Hydration

It’s a common-known fact: water is essential for life. Humans can survive for only about three days without water. Without it, every organ and cell would dry up and shut down. Most ancient civilizations were built near bodies of water because they understood the importance of water to survival.

Much like physical water is needed for our physical survival, spiritual water is needed for our spiritual survival. Coming to God daily, drinking from the profuse outflow of His love and grace, is vital to our hearts and minds. Without it, our spirits dry up and wither. Jesus said, “…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.” (John 4:14)

Now I know we all know this (i.e., Jesus is to our spirit what water is to our body). However, that is one of those fundamental truths that so often gets forgotten in the busyness of our lives. Like so many of my siblings in Christ, I am apt to let the responsibilities and worries of my life occupy more of my time than what they should, leaving very little for God. The end result is I have found myself worn out with a parched spirit and wilting faith.

This was the condition in which I found myself at the beginning of the fast; however, God blessed me with some extra free time to spend with Him (snow days). I cannot even begin to tell you how much this revived me! And it reminded me just how important it is to my spiritual survival and growth to spend time in His presence on a daily basis, not just occasionally.

Bottom line: if I expect to drink of Him daily, I must remain close to Him; but if I continue to allow the distractions of life to cause me to stray too far from my “water” Source, then I risk perishing spiritually from severe dehydration. I need Him like I need water.

“But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.” -Jeremiah 17:7-8

~Alanna