Awhile back I had a small case of the flu. Just part of working with children, I suppose. But for a little while, man, I thought I was going to die! I went two days without any intake other than a cappuccino made with soy milk. I needed a caffeine burst that was nice on my tummy. That's it. No food, just a few sips of water. Ug, it was NOT fun. When I was finally over it, I felt like I had a hangover. I had a horrible headache that I just couldn't shake.
While I was driving to work, I complained to God about it and asked Him to help me. He told me I was dehydrated and needed to go drink some water, that it would help. Easy enough, right? But then He continued to speak to my spirit...
He told me that not only was I phsyically dehydrated, I was spiritually dehydrated, which explained why my spirit was so heavy. I had been so concentrated on keeping myself functioning over the past couple of days that I had spent absolutely no time in the Word. He showed so many similarities between physical and spiritual dehydration, it was amazing once I started looking at it.
Going without water for just a short amount of time has a profound impact on your body. Just as going without the Word for just a couple of days has severe ramifications on your spirit. Have you ever been dehydrated? One glass of water didn't fix it, right? It took days of steady intake of H2O to bring yourself back up to the proper balance. I think it's the same on the spiritual realm. It doesn't work to just read a Psalm and think you'll be fine. You've got to get back in there over a period of time to feel as if you're healthy again.
When you're dehydrated, you're usually not thirsty. Your body has moved past the sensation of thirst to survival and even starvation mode. You have to CHOOSE to drink water, even though you may not want to, since you know that's what you need to survive. It's the same with the Living Water. You may not desire to get into the Word, when in reality it's exactly what you need. You have to CHOOSE to dive in and drink of the Living Water in order to live, even if it's not a strong desire.
Isn't He amazing? He understands that we are just flesh and blood, and He applies lessons like that to something our flesh could understand. What a mighty God we serve!
