Water For a Withered Soul

The plants in my house often look either lush and thriving or withered and dying. It seems that in order to keep them looking healthy and alive I need to water them. Imagine that!

I really do understand their desperate need for water. But too often I get distracted and forget. At other times I just don’t see that their leaves are turning brown, withering up and about to die. It’s sad really. I should probably just give up and not try to grow them. I am sure artificial plants could look really nice too.

To be honest the only reason I have had these particular plants is because my husband is better at seeing them than I am and he will remind me that they are dying. Sometimes he will just water them without saying a word. I am sure they love my husband more than me. 

Recently I was reading Psalm 1 and my heart was pricked by verse 3 which says, “He will be like a tree firmly planted by stream of water, which yields its fruit in its season and it leaf does not wither…” (NASB)

In the quietness before the Lord He reminded me of something I had forgotten. A verse I had read in Jeremiah 17:8 which says, “For he will be like a tree planted by the water, that extends its roots by the stream and will not fear when the heat come; But its leaves will be green, and it will not be anxious in a year of drought nor cease to yield fruit.” (NASB)

Sometimes we can be like my poor plants. Our leaves begin to wither and die. We no longer are producing much fruit. Fruit like, love, joy, peace, kindness, and goodness. Instead we become irritable, discouraged, impatient and our soul begins to wither.

For various reasons others may not notice. They don’t see that we are dying spiritually. They don’t see that we are struggling. So they walk by and we die a little more. We wonder will anyone see me? Does anyone know we are struggling? 

Unlike my plants we can do something about our withering soul. My plants are dependent on me. Their only hope is that I will see that they are dying. Their only hope is that I will remember to water them. Of course there is always the possibility that someone will see and water us with an encouraging word.  But our real hope is Jesus and His written word. The only thing we need to do is to open up His word and allow it to refresh and renew us. When we are consistently in His word He promises to refresh us with it. (Psalm 119)

So if you feel like your life is falling apart. If you feel dried out and about to wither up then go to the One who sees you. Go to the One who is never so distracted He forgets about you. He will never forget you and He always sees you. When we allow His word to refresh us our lives will, once again, produce good fruits.

To be honest I have forget this lately. Thinking other things, books, and people would be able to refresh that which I felt dying inside me. Why I think any one or anything can refresh my spirit is beyond me. I just forget. We all do.  But the truth is when I am meditating on His word and spending time in prayer my soul and heart grows and is refreshed. It’s His word alone that waters my soul.

What about you? How long has it been since you have sat before the Lord with your Bible? Not a bible study or devotional, but His written Word? Not that those other things are wrong, but if we are only getting what others have already studied and chewed up then we miss the richness of allowing God to waters us with His sweet words. 

Why not start today and open up your Bible and see how God might speak to you? I always find the book of Psalms is a good place to start when I feel that my soul needs a good refreshing.