refreshment

“Let anyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who desires drink freely from the water of life.” (Revelation 22:17b)

Parched

The hurried pace of life can leave us all feeling this way. I know I have been there. Whether it’s a busy calendar week that runs us ragged, or a series of challenges – one right after another – that leaves us feeling weary and wanting to drink a gallon of water, spiritually speaking…and maybe even literally.

Drink from the Living Water

Just like it is vital to hydrate when training for a race in order to keep our bodies functioning properly, it is crucial to spiritually renew our hearts in the living water of the Word daily. Our flesh can feel the effects of being spiritually dehydrated by experiencing “side stitches” (annoyances, challenges, or anything that would try to make us lose our focus on our Kingdom calling). We must deliberately choose to fight these “side stitches” by making time to focus our hearts and attention on our personal relationship with Christ.

Five Scriptures to Refresh Your Heart

1. “The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, He refreshes my soul. He guides me along right paths for His Name’s sake.” (Psalm 23:1-3) When you recognize that God is able to lead, guide, and personally restore you in every area—emotionally and physically, you can breathe out the cares of this world and breathe in His faithfulness.
2. “See I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” (Isaiah 43:19) Declare this truth over your life. God can do the impossible and make a way where there is no way. The God of the universe can burst forth water into the driest of places of your heart and cause the desert to bloom in areas that have seemed desolate.
3. “I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint.” (Jeremiah 31:25) If you are experiencing weariness, there is hope. When it feels like you are in a desert season, avoid the earthly solutions–“mirages”. Filling yourself with the “mirages” of the world may look appealing from a distance, but will, ultimately, leave you feeling discouraged and empty, like shifting sand. Instead, Christ wants to be the One to fill that void inside of your heart, for He alone truly satisfies.
4. “On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, ‘Let anyone who is thirsty come to Me and drink! Whoever believes in Me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.’” (John 7:37-38) Nourishing ourselves in the Word not only effects us but others, as well. When a vessel is filled to full capacity, it begins to overflow. We can’t help but spill out what we have on the inside and impact those around us. Let’s make others thirsty for the hope that we have.
5. “Like cold water to a weary soul is good news from a distant land.” (Proverbs 25:25) The ultimate “Good News” is the Gospel. I can personally attest to this. During a difficult time in my life, I remember how this indescribable thirst came over me that could only be quenched by deepening my relationship with Christ. I began writing down Scriptures on note cards and putting them up in various places in my home, journaling, and memorizing the Bible. When we encounter Jesus, He takes away the insatiable spiritual thirst that only He can fill. Soaking in His truth not only brings us revelation but transformation. As we soak in, He transforms us more and more into His likeness.

Pour in to Pour Out

Don’t live exhausted, friends. The Heavenly Father desires us to draw from His reservoir of unlimited strength. Like the woman at the well that was impacted by an encounter with Jesus, we must allow Him alone to satisfy us spiritually. We are designed by our Creator to fill the void in our lives with a personal relationship with Him. As we fill up on His truth, we not only refresh ourselves but also become like fountains pouring out the hope that we have to a lost and hurting world.

Let’s pour in to pour out, friends, and live a vibrant and abundant life in Christ.

“A generous person will prosper. Whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.” (Proverbs 11:25)