As the deer pants for the water brooks,
So my soul pants for You, O God.
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God;
When shall I come and appear before God?
Psalm 42:1-2 NASB

Do you ever go through times of spiritual or emotional dryness? I do. When I pour out of my own soul into my work or my ministry or into other people, I tend to use up the Living Water that God filled me with for that day. Before I know it, I have used that day’s supply and find myself giving out of my own strength - and waking up to find myself stranded in a desert of my own making! What do I do?


In the desert places of life, we still have access to the well that never runs dry…the well from which we draw Living Water…the presence of God in our lives! When I find myself in one of those desert times, I am learning to stop what I am doing and do whatever it takes to refill my soul-tank with Living Water. Sometimes that means withdrawing from people and taking a nap. Sometimes that means worshiping God with my entire being. Sometimes that means a walk in the woods, just me and my God, is in order. Sometimes it means playing with my grandchildren. Sometimes it simply means to cease serving and know God intimately…releasing the cares of the world to Him.


"Cease [striving] and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.”
Psalm 46:10 NASB


One of my favorite pictures of being filled - being refilled - with God’s presence - His Spirit - is to become like a little child running in a spring rain, face toward the heavens, mouth open wide, arms outstretched, taking in and being soaked with all of God’s presence and love as I can get! That’s what I desire and seek after when I worship God with my entire being.


Living Water brings new life.
Living Water cleanses and restores.
Living Water heals.
Living Water fills us with grace.
Living Water fills us with love.
Living Water is always available to us…

7 There came a woman of Samaria to draw water. Jesus said to her, "Give Me a drink." 8 For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. 9 Therefore the Samaritan woman said to Him, "How is it that You, being a Jew, ask me for a drink since I am a Samaritan woman?" (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) 10 Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, 'Give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water." 11 She said to Him, "Sir, You have nothing to draw with and the well is deep; where then do You get that living water? 12 "You are not greater than our father Jacob, are You, who gave us the well, and drank of it himself and his sons and his cattle?" 13 Jesus answered and said to her, "Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.” John 4:7-14 NASB


Let us not be afraid to take the necessary steps to be filled and refilled with God’s presence as often as needed. Relationship with Jesus is like living life in an oasis that goes wherever we go and that is available in and through any circumstances. We never have to worry about having our thirst quenched if we simply walk in relationship with Jesus and with others. Relationship is life. Relationship with Jesus is water to our weary soul any time, any place, and under any circumstance. Let’s drink deep of His Living Waters today and allow Him to quench the thirst of our soul.


As the deer pants after the water…
As a child running for joy in the rain…
As a vessel of the Living Water of Jesus Christ to the world around us…
Dennis Jernigan


To listen to a podcast with more teaching on this subject, go to http://podcast.dennisjernigan.com/e/like-falling-rain/


Picture courtesy of https://pixabay.com/photos/landscape-desert-storm-sand-clouds-4436637/