Rivers in the Desert

O God, You are my God; with deepest longing I will seek You; My soul [my life, my very self] thirsts for You, my flesh longs and sighs for You, In a dry and weary land where there is no water. Psalm 63:1 (Amplified Bible, AMP)

There are times when this life seems like a dry, parched desert. The enemy tries from time to time to tempt even the most seasoned believer. He lies, telling us that God is far away and is not listening to our prayers. He sends a flurry of problems to plague us- some small and some not so small. His aim is to wear us down to get us to speak doubt and unbelief, because he knows he can only win if we let him.

If we stay filled up with the Word of God, we will go through dry and difficult times successfully. Ephesians 5:26 refers to the Word of God as water. Jesus is the Word (John 1:14). Therefore, by staying in the Word, abiding in Jesus, we stay hydrated spiritually.

Jesus also spoke of Living Water, which refers to being baptized in the Holy Spirit. This also is key to preventing spiritual dehydration.

Now on the last and most important day of the feast, Jesus stood and called out [in a loud voice], “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink! He who believes in Me [who adheres to, trusts in, and relies on Me], as the Scripture has said, ‘From his innermost being will flow continually rivers of living water.’” But He was speaking of the [Holy] Spirit, whom those who believed in Him [as Savior] were to receive afterward. The Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified (raised to honor). John 7:37-39 (Amplified Bible, AMP)

Praying in the Holy Spirit, abiding in Jesus, and staying in the Word of God is a winning combination for beating dry spells. It refreshes and restores like nothing else can.

He leads me beside the still and quiet waters. He refreshes and restores my soul (life); Psalm 23:2b-3a (Amplified Bible, AMP)