LIVING WATER FOR PARCHED SPIRITS

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In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

The enemy pursues me, he crushes me to the ground; he makes me dwell in the darkness like those long dead. So my spirit grows faint within me; my heart within me is dismayed.

I remember the days of long ago; I meditate on all Your works and consider what Your hands have done. I spread out my hands to You; I thirst for You like a parched land.

Psalm 143:3-6

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Difficulties in life have an insidious way of affecting our spirits. They can begin by nibbling away at our sense of peace and patience but soon the nibbling turns into deeper biting into our faith and joy. These then become the precursors for the main course when your life troubles consume you and swallow up your hope, leaving you uncertain about what your future might hold, sort of like Jonah sitting in the belly of the huge fish (Jonah 1:17). His life was surely hanging in the balance, destined to become digested by the fish unless God saved him.

As we read our passage from the 143rd Psalm, we find David in the jaws of hardship and see his spirit being impacted as a result. Look again at his words:

The enemy pursues me, he crushes me to the ground; he makes me dwell in the darkness like those long dead. So my spirit grows faint within me; my heart within me is dismayed.

David’s adversity came in the form of an enemy and he had more than a few during his time as king. It seemed that there were more than a few who wanted to see him dead.

Imagine how this would make you feel. You have to live your life constantly looking over your shoulder and watching your back because you know that there are people who want nothing more than to bring harm to you in some way. And when I say harm, it doesn’t have to be physical harm; it can also be emotional and spiritual. Maybe this is happening to you right now in life.

What impact did this have on David’s spirit?

He shares the following feelings in this passage:

1. “The enemy pursues me, he crushes me to the ground.”

David confesses that he was crushed to the ground by the oppressiveness of his enemy’s threats. They had paralyzed him and taken away his very freedom to live in peace.

2. “He makes me dwell in the darkness like those long dead.”

  

Sometimes troubles can grow so large that they tend to engulf us in darkness. While in the midst of them, it can be hard to see the light of hope shining anywhere. This is the place where David was. Maybe you’re there today or can relate being there at some time. I know I can.

3. “So my spirit grows faint within me; my heart within me is dismayed.”

These words show us that David’s very strength was waning, his spirit tired and heart dismayed from the pressure of facing the trials he was under. Hard times can devour our spirit troubled and leave us in the grips of despair and depression, threatening to swallow up our hope.

Yes, David was in the midst of great suffering. There’s no question about that. But as we see, he wasn’t willing to allow his misfortunes to overcome him. In his time of dilemma, He turned to God:

I remember the days of long ago; I meditate on all Your works and consider what Your hands have done. I spread out my hands to You; I thirst for You like a parched land.

While his present circumstances were extremely difficult and arduous, David didn’t lose sight of the fact that his life had not always been that way. He recalled that there had been many good times when God had blessed him, times that included delivering him from times of peril. And rather than wallow in the present, David chose to meditate on the past, recharging his faith and hope by remembering the goodness of the Lord he loved so very much.

What did this do for David?

It reconnected him to his only source of hope. Through his meditation and turning back toward God, he knew that his parched spirit would be quenched by the living waters of the Lord’s comfort and reassurance, his strength restored and renewed by the One who could give him the strength to endure all things.

Friends, this is good news from the Lord for us as we deal with our own versions of adversity in life. Through David’s testimony, we learn how to deal with our own tough situations when they arise. Instead of being gobbled up by hardship, we are to turn to God and meditate on all He has done for us in the past, knowing that the same God who rescued us then is the God who is able and willing to rescue us now.

Today, if you find yourself parched and your very spirit of hope drying up, turn to the Lord, our source of living water, a water that will always repair, restore, and sustain us through anything this life will bring. Tap into his springs of hope and you will experience a hope that springs eternal.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.

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