Moving the Water

“O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water”. Psalm 63:1 (ESV) 

I just spent a week in Arizona.  The dry, desert landscape always intrigues me for it has its own kind of beauty and grace.  With extreme heat and lack of moisture, I am in awe that anything can live and grow there. Just staring out at the desert makes me thirsty.

One day, we got rain and you could almost hear the ground absorbing the moisture and it made me think of another very dry place; Montana.

Because they only average 15 inches of rain each year, some parts of Montana have a clever irrigation system. Water is collected at the highest elevation and is held back by a “gate”.  When it is time to irrigate, the gate is opened and water flows through ditches or canals to the desired field.  When adequately watered, the gate is closed and another gate is opened where the process is repeated to another section of land.  This is called “moving the water”.  

There are times in our lives when we need to ask Father to "move the water". It is not uncommon for us to have seasons of spiritual drought where it seems like nothing is penetrating the scorched, parched surface of our spirit. Some people refer to it as a “desert time”. Spiritually so dry that it seems their very spirit will wilt and die.  Everything has lost its “flavor”.  Scripture is just words on a page, prayer is empty, and service to God is hard and draining.  I’ve been there.  I am sure you have as well.  If you haven’t, the time will come. Father uses those times to strengthen us; to help us grow closer to Him.

“For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour my Spirit upon your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants.” (Isaiah 44:3) When my spirit is dry, I ask Father to “move the water” onto my weary soul.  I picture Him opening the gate and letting water flow to all those dry cracks and crevices of my heart and spirit until out of my heart flows rivers of living water because I believe in Him. (John 7:38) He owns the water.  He is the gatekeeper.  He gives us what we need when we need it.  We can count on Him and He takes care of us in the desert.  Do you need Him to “move the water” today?  I am confident that He will turn your desert into pools of water and your parched ground into flowing springs. (Psalm 107:35).

Worshiping with you in the desert,
Lisa