Standing or Flowing?

At this time of year in the northeast, we see a lot of water – in the forms of rain, snow and ice.  And in the last week or so we’ve had it all.  We had a bunch of snow fall late last week – and it melted.  Then we had a bunch of rain fall – and it gathered into giant puddles.  Then we had the temperatures drop – and ice formed.  We’ve had it all!

What God has been showing me is about the standing water.  I wish I had taken a photo of our neighbor’s back yard the other day when it was completely under water.  Most of it is gone now, down where it’s needed most, into the water table, except for a few low spots where it stands today, as ice.

What He showed me about that standing water was that is doesn’t move.  It doesn’t flow.  It just sits.  And if it’s summer, bugs and the such start to accumulate.  But in the case of today, it freezes and really doesn’t move.

As I thought about that, I realized it’s kind of like our walk with the Lord. He is the Living Water…and we have the privilege of housing His living water within us as well…

“He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”  John 7:38

How often to we tap into that source of Living Water?  Is it daily, maybe in our morning quiet time?  Is it at night when we lay our weary bodies down to sleep?  Is it a constant thing throughout the day – relationship?  That’s what He really wants…constant interaction, moving and flowing with Him, being ready in an instant to do what He needs done, relationship.

Unfortunately, we don’t always tap in and flow with the Lord.  I know I have been guilty of letting my days slip away from me, only to breathe a prayer as I drift off at the end of a long day.  Too much of that and that’s when the standing water goes from merely standing to stagnant.  Icky.  That’s when we begin to feel more tired, and oppression and depression can be more heightened.

Friends, that’s a choice we make.  We make the choice to spend time with Him or not.  To pray, to worship with a cd in the car, to read a book instead of watch tv, to fellowship with other believers of like mind…all choices we make that can keep our water – our living water from becoming still and stagnant.

“For I am the LORD, I do not change”  Mal. 3:6

God doesn’t change…we do.  He’s always there, whether we are or not.  He’s waiting.  He’s provided that living, sustainable water for us, BUT He invites us to stir it up and flow with Him.  And I know for me, I am doing a whole lot of stirring and changing these days.  Some visible, some not so much.  But changes nonetheless.  And that is good. 

As I have implemented the 6am wake up time, prayer and more study of the Word, I feel a lot less weighted down, and I’m more ready “in season”.  More in tune with Him and His desires.

How about you – do you struggle with choosing to keep your river of living water flowing and moving?  What things do you do to keep it flowing?

Enjoy!
♥Lori

Linked up with:
Women in the Word @ Good Morning Girls
Wordless Wednesday @ 5 Min. for Mom
Wordful Wednesday @ Living Out Loud