Day 16
If I had to reduce the longing I had in the desert to one word, it would be “thirst.” Just as real as if I was physically wandering through a wasteland, my soul felt like it was drying up inside me.
I wish I could say that I remembered the words of Jesus when He said, “In this world you will have trouble; but take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). I wish I could say that I waited patiently for my God who promised me that He would overcome the world on my behalf. But instead, I internalized everything, blamed myself, and tried to muster up the strength to quench my own thirst.
I thought that I had to do the overcoming...
The following is from Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His
Highest.
“‘The well is deep’ ...Think of the depths of human nature, of human life, think of the depths of the ‘wells’ in you... Suppose there is a well of fathomless trouble inside your heart, and Jesus comes and says – ‘Let not your heart be troubled’; and you shrug your shoulders and say – ‘But, Lord, the well is deep; You cannot draw up quietness and comfort out of it.’ No, He will bring them down from above. Jesus does not bring anything up from the wells of human nature. We limit...[God]....by saying – ‘Of course I cannot expect God to do this thing.’
The thing that taxes almightiness is the very thing which we as disciples of Jesus ought to believe He will do... When we get into difficult circumstances, we impoverish His ministry by saying – ‘Of course He cannot do anything,’ and we struggle down to the deeps and try to get the water for ourselves. Beware of the satisfaction of sinking back and saying – ‘It can’t be done’; you know it can be done if you look to Jesus. The well of your incompleteness is deep, but make the effort and look away to Him.”
Have you been trying to find your own water in the wasteland? Have you been looking to your own abilities, emotions, and strength of will to get yourself out of this “spiritual funk?” If you have, I imagine that like me, you’re exhausted and consumed with guilt—like you’ve disappointed everyone, especially Jesus.
Do you thirst to FEEL more, to BE more, to DO more as a follower of Jesus?
Today I want you to decide to stop looking inside of yourself for the water to quench this thirst.
Today I want you to recognize that your “wells” don’t go deep enough.
God isn’t waiting for you to try harder, He is waiting for you to give up. It is only when we surrender to the truth that “it’s not by might, not by power, but by [His] Spirit” that “rivers of living water will flow from [our] heart.”
We don’t have to do it on our own.
And that is a very encouraging thought indeed.
