While no one was home, I knelt beside the sofa and humbly, softly, and slowly asked the Lord for help. I did not even know how to pray.
I told my Father that my motivation was low, my mind confused. I did not know what to do nor how to pray at this moment.
So I waited. In a short time the Spirit of God sent me these verses:
John 7:37-38 On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.
Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, 'Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.'"
When the message came to me, I agreed I was so thirsty to hear God. But my heart arose when invited to come to Him and drink.
Still not knowing what to say, I kept my words few and carefully chosen.
So, I opened myself as if a cup unto the Lord. Not having to ask Him to pour, I drank of the Living Water for as much time as I needed.
In moments, I sensed a growing peace, a special love from my Father. Hope and faith began to grow. And by the time I finished, I was a new man. There was no special direction or prophetic insight, must a peace to keep drinking and keep trusting Him.
The matter of drinking is simply a matter of letting go of my negative thoughts and feelings and surrendering totally to the supply of the Father who is super-abundant in every supply I need for each occasion of the Christian life.
The more I surrendered to the all-caring, all-supplying, all-loving heart of my Father, I knew things would be worked out for my good and the good of my family.
I just needed the filling of God. He doesn't just supply. He is the Supply. Knowing my life before the creation of the world, I was planned, I was known, I was supplied with everything I needed. God, then, knew my sin, my weaknesses, and my needs. He foresaw my moments of confusion and helplessness. He planned a way to reach out to me and clear my confusion, settle my heart, and give me what I needed beginning at the moments I came helplessly to the throne and drank of the Living Water.
You see my greatest need was not a job, not money to pay bills. My need was Living Water. I needed my thirst quenched.
I began to practice this principle on a daily basis since then. Sometimes I have not practiced it and failed.
But every time I became weak, instead of trying to figure it out or handling it in my own power, I've come to the River of Life [the Lord Jesus] and asked Him for drink to handle the conflict at hand. Those conflicts may be hurt, temptation, decisions, direction, etc.
In my helplessness I have come. And in EVERY conflict I have felt the same experience as at first. This experience has given me peace, wisdom, and proper Christ-like expression.
Again, I fail to surrender every time. But I would say I do this most every time.
It destroys my tendency to be hasty and poor communication.
This has been the greatest tool in my Christian experience.
Even when improper thoughts assault my mind, I come to Him. I state my helplessness to handle temptation. I have no personal power to resist Satan and my own sin and self nature. I tell Him that. Then I surrender to Him to fill me with what I need of Him.
As I surrender and believe, I wait with perseverance until I sense as change and know when I am full.
Especially during temptation, as I turn my attention away from temptation and look patiently to the Lord, in a matter of minutes I feel temptation weaken and spiritual purity and power increase.
I hope this will help you understand what it means to trust God. It is a conscious action of surrender and drinking of the Lord in each and every moment of life when confusion and weakness overwhelm us.
This brings me to the verse below:
1 Peter 2:2-3 Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation—
if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.
I cannot explain what or how the Lord tastes like. I cannot explain the taste of a certain food if you have never tasted it. It is personal, only by experience.
You can never know what the Lord tastes like until you drink of Him.
Another thing, you will discover that the Lord NEVER fails if you wait and believe. And His faithfulness grows your trust to drink of Him in more situations until completeness is formed in your spiritual formation.
It is addictive and transforming.
Abiding and drinking of the Water
Rick
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