I’ve been thinking about water recently and how vital it is. In our area, as in many parts of the country there have been problems with burst pipes causing breakdowns in supply. Last week we were expecting guests when the water completely stopped working and we had to use bottled. Eventually it came back but the pressure was very slow and, to my horror, for a full day afterwards the water was a murky brown and impossible to use for drinking.
As I stood holding the glass of brown water, I sensed the Lord speaking to me. He said, ‘I came to bring you streams of living water flowing from your innermost being, but you’ve allowed your water to become murky and brown instead of pure and full of life.’ (see John 7:38)
I was shocked. How can that be? I thought. But Jesus was teaching us our need to root ourselves in who He is, to make His love our focus, and our point of trust.
In a world where there is no clear truth, will we truly believe in Him? Not just at our salvation, but in our daily living, in the choices we make, the habits we develop, the thoughts that we fill our minds with.
When I literally held that glass of dirty water, I didn’t want to drink it. It had no life about it, more the opposite. I thought, it is a very sad thing if the water coming from my heart ever has that murky quality. As I listened to the Lord I sensed him saying that I’d been drinking in the opinions of others in the media and allowing my spirit to be bombarded by negatives and cynicism. He said, ’My water is pure and beautiful, as you drink from my well, the water will renew you and restore your wonder and joy. Every drop is full of my life and power. My water will cleanse and revitalise you in the depths of your being. Hope and strength will rise from within you as you drink of me. It will be that never failing stream that I promised; the river of my love for you, a love that can never runout or dry up, because I love you with an everlasting love. Draw close to me and choose to let go of everything you’ve taken in that has drained your trust in me. I’m here to show you the depths of my love for you and the wonderful plans I have for you.’
I was stunned by this amazing word and it did make me really think about what I was allowing to infiltrate my life. I prayed He would release me from all murkiness. I felt a real joy in that prayer and shortly afterwards, our tap water suddenly flowed more powerfully and every trace of the murkiness was soon gone.
I long to flow more and more with His beautiful, pure life-giving water too. It’s His promise that, as I believe, He will do that. If you long for that, may you know the joy of His renewing love filling you with new life and all the murky residue of negative things melting away.
