Over the last eight months, I have been trying to grow some herbs on the balcony. We have a mint plant and whenever I neglect it or forget to water it, the plant droops in the hot Singapore weather. But right after I water it and give it a little attention, it springs to life again.
Through this, the Lord reminded me that just like the plant needs water, I need regular fuelling from the Word of God so that I don’t wither away. A lot of Christians say this—“I feel very dry! I don’t know what is happening to me; I don’t feel right.” I am sure you must have heard at least two of the aforementioned. This is probably because of decreased time alone with God and His Word. It is His Word that enriches our lives, promotes growth, and gives us wholeness. Without reaching out to God or actively seeking Him through His Word, our spirit is likely to get shriveled and dried up.
Psalm 119:50 says,
This is my comfort in my affliction,
For Your word has given me life.
The NASB version says,
This is my comfort in my misery,
That Your word has revived me.
I could draw parallels to the case of my drying mint plant. It was the regular watering and attention that revived my plant back to life; in the same way, I need regular infilling from the Word. Do you feel like you are in a dry season? Maybe it is time for some tender loving care for your spirit. How do you do that? —fellowship with God. Sometimes, Christianity is reduced to just a religion and we forget that it is actually about our relationship with God. For our faith to move from a religion to a relationship, it is key that we become intentional about building our bond with God.
You might be spending time with God as a ritualistic activity. But, ask yourself this— “are you spending time with God?” “Is it from your heart?” “Are you constantly looking at the clock to check if the time you have set for prayer is over?” “Is it a religious act?” I know these questions are quite blunt and straightforward but let us be real about this, shall we? I rather stimulate you to be truthful than sugar-coat it.
Let us take David’s story. He endured many challenges in this world. While many were attacks from his enemies, some of them were self-inflicted. Either way, he had to overcome men, their attacks, and the many challenges that came his way. You may have seen him cry out for help or complain in many of the chapters in Psalm. But it is in the midst of all these challenges, that he said in Psalm 119:50. He was afflicted and probably at the lowest point of his life but he could still say that he wasn’t weary because of the relationship he had with God—a man after God’s heart, as he is famously known.
Similarly, we have a lot of challenges in life that we come across daily. Some bog us down, some make us stronger, and then some make us wiser. None of us can avoid these challenges. How many of us can say like David, that it is God’s Word that keeps us going? When we are on the verge of giving up, how many of us can run to God and seek answers from His Word?
Remember, that it was God’s Word that revived and restored David. It gave him wisdom and perspective to deal with things. The Word of God is your fuel! Your relationship with God is not a once-a-week affair. It is not a spirit and prayer-packed Sunday that is going to keep you running for the next six days. You don’t once a week for the whole week, do you? We eat every day at regular intervals to fuel our bodies. Our spirit needs nourishment too—DAILY. We need a fresh perspective every day to deal with the troubles of the day.
I have been encouraging many to seek God early in the morning; the very first thing. It is not only a great start to the day but also preps you for every small and big thing that is scheduled for the day. You are filled with enough and more strength for all the challenges that come your way. It is in these intimate morning sessions that God gives us insight into various areas of our lives that need mending; He gives us a game plan for the day.
Isaiah 46:10 says,
Declaring the end from the beginning,
And from ancient times things that are not yet done,
Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand,
And I will do all My pleasure,’
His counsel is what will sustain us. He has a perfect plan for each of our lives and He wants to reveal it to us. Time and again we quote Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.
He has a future for us. But if we don’t rely on His plan and do everything with our might, then we are going to be disappointed. So, when we face challenges on this road that God has prepared for us, we look to the guide that He has given us—His Word.
When you feel dried up, His Word will revive your spirit; there is power in the Word of God. John 6:63 says,
It is the Spirit that gives life. The body is of no value for that. But the things I have told you are from the Spirit, so they give life.
True meditation
To keep our spirit nourished, we must meditate on God’s Word. But first, we need to understand what true meditation means. Oftentimes, it is confused with thinking. That could be true, but sometimes we have 100 million thoughts running through our minds. So, what is meditation? —it’s muttering. It is muttering under our breath when a negative thought or an attack comes; when somebody says something harsh. It’s muttering the truth of God’s Word. It is muttering who God says we are. It’s muttering under our breath. What the truth and the reality are despite my situation, when we meditate on the Word of God when we fully embrace the teaching of the Bible, we position ourselves to have a constant supply of everything we need to grow, develop, and become all that God has created us to be and to complete the assignment God has for our lives, individually. You know, He does not have a group assignment. He has an individual assignment for me and you and that can only be fulfilled when we spend time with God because that is the fuel we need to grow, mature, and become the person that God has created us to be. Not only will we become the woman or man that God called us to be, but we will also enjoy the process. Yes, even the hardships —I can tell you this from my experience. Looking back, I am so thankful for my hardships. Yes, I wish it did not happen. But I am grateful because they have grown me; they have made me into the woman of God that I am today.
Let heaven be our focus and let us enjoy the ride. We can truly be joyous in this journey only when we are filled with the Word of God. Remember, we only keep moving when we have fuel—make sure your spiritual tank is not empty!
Consider this:
Fill up your TANK:
T-Time alone with God. This is the first and foremost thing that we need to keep in mind. We need to be intentional about spending time with God. It is not about how much time you spent praying or worshipping, but about how much you truly felt and appreciated His presence.
A-Actively pursue God’s Word. Many give the excuse that they do not enjoy reading the Word. Well, God wants us to meditate the Word rather just read through it. If you don’t like reading, listen to the Word and jot down verses that speak to you.
N-Nourish your spirit. We eat at regular intervals to nourish our physical bodies; in the similar fashion we need to feed ourselves with the Word to nourish our spirits. Make sure there is frequent infilling lest our spirits become malnourished and weak.
K-Keep His Word. In Revelation, God commands you to start “keeping” His Word. Revelation 3:3 says, “Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you.” So, it is not about merely hearing, or reading but doing/keeping it.