Although I’m neither a homesteader or a backwoods country person part of me likes to imagine I might be. So each quarter a magazine is delivered to my mailbox with my name on it, with secrets to survival and living on a homestead. This month’s message was “your survival depends on water”. It proceeds to tell how to dig a well no matter what kind of property you live on. Because with water no matter what comes our way, we can survive.
It’s funny that this message came across my mailbox just as I was thinking about how essential the water of God’s Word is in our every day lives. Without watering ourselves constantly in the Word, we will become dry, brittle, barely surviving, definitely not thriving.
This past week with the extreme heat my garden has been craving to be watered more than once, so I find myself turning on the hose both in the morning and evening. The water is so refreshing to the plants especially on a hot day. One day as I watered I actually saw the leaves and flowers of my purple petunias instantly perk up! They physically stood taller, stronger, and more beautiful than before. What would a constant fresh watering do? It would further those results, causing the garden to overflow with new buds and become bigger and healthier.
The same is true of our spirits. We need constant watering in the Word. Not just a sprinkle here or there or not just relying on a little rainstorm that comes our way. No, we need a constant source of perpetual water of God’s Word in our lives. Without it we become dehydrated, brittle, hard hearted and immovable. In a state like that it is hard to serve God and follow His voice.
Let’s allow God to “take our heart of stone and give us a heart of flesh”(Ezekiel 36:26). An important part of receiving that heart of flesh and keeping our heart soft is to stay constantly watered in the Word of God. I’ve seen it true in my own life. I’m especially am thankful for all the scriptures I was taught as a kid. Whether through memorization or through memorizing songs, I find certain songs and verses coming to mind automatically even after all these years just getting stronger year by year especially when facing difficult situations. I’m so thankful for parents who planted the Word in me as a young child. And I’m thankful for a good youth group and a good Bible program that I stuck to in a good school as a teenager and as a young adult. And now as a parent, and as a 40 year old, it’s still true: The Word of God is essential. Essential as water is to our survival.
It’s our responsibility to get into the Bible each and every day. I am old school and I love the literal opening of the Word of God and sitting in reading it with my coffee in the morning. Or if the morning takes off at a busy pace then I make sure to do it before bed at night. Each and every time the Bible speaks to me, especially as I prepare my heart before God. “Speak to me today, God” should be our prayer as we open the Word. Keep reading until the Holy Spirit drops understanding or revelation and a heart from what we have read from the Bible.
As for real life application—whether you’re new or even a seasoned pro— it’s a good idea to couple a book of the Old Testament with a book from the New Testament or Psalm each day. It will keep things fresh and to keep your heart watered according to the word. It will keep you fresh, sharp, and growing more than ever before!
How alive my purple petunias were after a good watering! We too, whether we realize it or not, become full of life, health, encouragement, praise, gratefulness after a time in the Word. The things that seemed too big, too challenging in our lives now shrink down in comparison to His mighty love and grace.
Through reading the Bible our thinking is adjusted:
So I encourage you to start today! Open your Bible and ask God to speak to you. Read it verse by verse (I like to encourage friends to start in the book of John).
You will be amazed at how refreshed and renewed your spirit is after a time of watering in the Word! And we know that true refreshment comes from the inside out, starting with our spirit man and working outwards to our body and mind.
My prayer for you: God I ask that my friends find the true value of watering themselves in your Word each and every day. Speak to them as they read the Bible. Holy Spirit, we invite you to be present with us as we read your Word. We want your knowledge, your revelation, your understanding your guidance in all things. “Your Word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path” (Psalm 119:105). Watering ourselves in the Word each day is essential not just to survival but to thriving in your Kingdom. We pray we would become so immersed in the Word that when we come away from time with you, we realize that the situations that seemed impossible are now shrunk in comparison to your mighty love and grace. We pray that as we read the Bible hope rises in our hearts. That we would become refreshed in our spirit, soul, and body. We thank you for your life flowing through us as we read the Bible. And we thank you that it causes us to thrive in your kingdom and to be well watered, strong and have roots in your kingdom. We thank you for this in Jesus name, Amen.
Here’s other blogs I wrote about the importance of the Word:
And another about His faithful promise: www.melanietalevski.com/2023/03/18/his-faithful-promise/
And a blog I wrote on “Benefits of the Word” for my church: https://mailchi.mp/cfff8739382e/agapes-encouragement-blog
Happy Bible reading!
Until next time,
P.S. Here are some pictures of our garden this year. We kept the garden pretty simple with flowers, a row of carrots and lettuce and spinach one tomato plant, a pepper plant and several strawberry plants. Something about being outdoors and watering these plants is just so calming and of course reminds me of exactly what this blog was all about: watering myself in the Word each and every day. And can you tell who my gardening buddy is? 😉
Melanie Talevski 