Living Water

I have spent this week in kind of a funk. Tomorrow is the anniversary of the September 11th attack. Do you still see those planes hitting those buildings? It's an image forever burned in my mind. Every year I go into a time of rememberance and mourning.

Then, this week, I've watched the devastation Hurricane Ike has hurled upon places like Haiti and Cuba. I spent so much time praying on Monday as it made landfall not far from where I stayed while I was in Cuba. I thought of the family I stayed with, and wondered about their safety. I prayed as they mentioned that the road that took me to the families I worked with was completely under water because a reservoir had flooded it. They were cut off. I prayed as I remembered the food shortage that was there after the last hurricane -- for years! And I wondered what this one would bring. I remembered how I would slosh mud on me as I walked through the streets after a light rain, and imagined the people being swept away by the mud. I can put faces on those people. They had almost nothing to begin with, and now what do they have left?

I felt silly even asking that question of God. He's never slow to remind us that earthly things are temporary, but He is eternal. God reminded me of what they DO have. The people I met had a burning passion for Him -- for His Word. They fed on it day and night. It was their sustenance. So, my prayers began to change. Rather than prayers questioning God, they were prayers petitioning God to draw more people to Him -- to place unbelievers next to these strong believers that I know there. And that they would be able to lead people to Him. I know they will be faithful. I know He is with them.

Our Pastor has talked about the next two years' journey through this church, as we read through the Bible together. I am so excited about that journey together. One of the images He presented on Sunday was from the scripture Revelation 10:9:

"And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book. And he said unto me, Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey."

As I thought of my brothers and sisters in Cuba, I thought of that passage. For years, they have literally devoured the Word daily. They feed on it! I am praying right now that their bellies are full of the Word and that their mouths are sweet as honey as they use this time to dig out from under the mud and win souls to Christ.

Psalm 42:1-2 & 7-8 says: 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; v.7 Deep calls to deep at the sound of Your waterfalls; All Your breakers and Your waves have rolled over me. The LORD will command His lovingkindness in the daytime; And His song will be with me in the night, A prayer to the God of my life.

As we encounter tragedies, violence, nature's wrath, difficulty, etc. I cling to that final promise in verse 8--the promise that He is with us and will not leave us--it doesn't say "might" be with me, it says "will" be with me: The LORD will command His lovingkindness in the daytime; And His song will be with me in the night.

Lord, we cling to You. You are our Rock. We pray that as we continue on this journey that You will remind us of the sustenance that Your Word brings. We pray that You will fill our bellies with it, and help us to devour it in such a way that it is the first thing that comes forth in times of challenge. We know that You have Your hand on Your people. We know that You watch over us day and night. Thank You for never abandoning us and never forsaking us, but always loving and encouraging us as we walk daily with You.