The Water of Life

 

     These beautiful pink hydrangea flowers have brought me much joy during their short life.  For a month, they stood straight and tall with these lush blossoms proclaiming the glory of God.  Even their crisp bright green leaves are pretty!

     As the weather turned warmer and the flowers began fading, one day the leaves hung limp and the flower head lay to the side.  They looked pitiful!  I realized that they were in dire need of life-giving water and so I filled the watering can and gave the plant a nice, long drink.

     Within hours, the faded blossom heads had righted themselves and once again stood up tall - and even looked brighter.  The limp leaves perked up too and seemed to rejoice at their renewal.  It was an amazing transformation.

     Nature offers so many spiritual messages and this one is no exception.  I'm reminded of Psalm 63:1, where David says, "O God, You are my God; early will I seek You; my soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water." 

      We all need water to live and without it, we grow weak and limp like my poor flower.  The prophet Isaiah wrote, "Therefore with joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation," 12:3.

       Water is life.  Jesus offers us just such water.  He says to us, "Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst.  But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life," John 4:14.

     God tells us in Isaiah 44:3, "For I will pour water on him who is thirsty, and floods on the dry ground; I will pour My Spirit on your descendants, and My blessing on your offspring."

      This verse compares life-giving water with the life-giving Holy Spirit in a way that we can see how vital each are to a healthy life.  Without God's Holy Spirit working in and through us, we will be weak and limp - we will be sad.  We need to drink in the Word of God each day so that we will be spiritually hydrated.  We all want our lives to be as beautiful before the Lord as the wonderful blue and lavender hydrangeas in the picture above.  We need to stay close to the One who gives us strength, purpose and peace.  

       Let's stay fresh in our walk with the Lord each day - inspired by these crisp green leaves and radiant pink flower as it stands upright before its Creator.

       Let's say, with David, "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.  He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.  He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake..." Psalm 23:1-3.