…The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life. John 4:14, ESV
Do you long for a drink of cool, refreshing water during the hot summer days? Ice cool water with a slice of lemon, or for an extra special treat with a maraschino cherry, is so refreshing on a very hot day.
The scorching summer heat is withering. Coupled with high humidity, our energy drains. Lethargy sets in. A longing to retreat to a cool, sheltered spot and sip slowly on that icy drink is our urgent desire. Ahh! There it is in easy reach – the glass, the ice drops in, and the water fills all the empty spaces. We take that treasured, cool water and swallow, savoring each mouthful, thankful for the relief it brings. We sigh and sink into that comfy chair in the air-conditioned room with the fan circulating the air above us. Cool crisp air swirls around us. We are being restored, refreshed, renewed, and reinvigorated. And so, we settle for a time, recover and find a rhythm to cope with the passing of the seemingly endless, sweltering, summer days; eagerly awaiting the next season.
Often we find ourselves in very difficult, sometimes depressing, despairing, and draining situations. They are intense like the scorching, summer sun. They drain us of our normal energy. We can barely manage to move and, with tears trickling down from our eyes, our desperate heart cries out, “Release us from this predicament. Relieve us O God.”
Then we remember Jesus, our wonderful Savior, the one who offers us living water, the one who experienced human life, the one who understands and sees us. Tired, he sat down and asked the Samaritan women for a drink in the heat of the noonday sun. We recall His words to her “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” And He continues “…whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
Will we come and sit in the presence of the Lord? As we do, will we feel the Holy Spirit welling up and enveloping us, calming and soothing us? Will we take the living water He offers us, sip slowly and gratefully, savoring every Word He has spoken? Will we come to Him and know His restoring, refreshing, renewing and reinvigorating touch on our lives? He has promised to be with us always. Yes, even in each scorching, sweltering, summer day. He beckons us to come. Will we?
Pray with me:
Lord God, I praise you and thank you that You are my life source. Thank you that you see us and know us. Thank you that you have promised to be with us even in these hard, hot days. Lord, please refresh, restore, and renew me. And may rivers of your living water well up and flow out from me. In your name and for your glory, Amen
Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them. John 7:38