It happens to all of us. We’ve had a particularly full week or month or season, and we don’t realize how dry our interior terrain has become. Fortunately, it’s fairly easy to assess and God has plenty of living water.
The other morning I decided to spend time with God in our sunroom. I settled into a sofa with my Bible and journal, a glass of cold water, and one of my favorite Pandora worship stations. I looked across the room and noticed that the leaves of our Gold Dust plant had completely drooped. It was a week since I’d been in the room, and I hadn’t seen the plant’s plight. I filled a pitcher and gave it a drink. Within a half hour, it was nearly revived.
While we don’t have leaves that sag when we’re out of touch with God, there are equally obvious indicators.
1. Lack of inspiration. When you search your soul for fresh insights from God, you realize there are none. Sure, you’re anchored to foundational truth, but there’s no recent biblical insight or interaction with God that’s propelling you forward in Him.
2. Absence of joy. You aren’t depressed, maybe you aren’t even sad – but the joy of the Lord isn’t welling up in your spirit either. You feel pretty flat.
3. Presence of weariness. Without the joy of the Lord, which is our strength, we become tired. You realize you’ve been plodding through your days, and they seem longer than usual.
4. Routine prayers. You notice your conversations with God have fallen into familiar patterns and phrases. There’s a distinct absence of life and currency in your words.
5. Snippiness with family. When your schedule is full and your spiritual tank isn’t, you lack grace for others’ humanness, especially family members.
Most house plants do well with weekly watering. God designed us much differently. Scripture exhorts us to be rooted in His love, attached to the Vine, planted by streams of water. These phrases are descriptive of trees and plants that are positioned to receive constant hydration. They bear regular fruit, their leaves don’t droop, and their work prospers (Psalm 1:3).
If you’re spiritually dehydrated, make a determination to take your next available slot today to be with God. Take a good long drink of His Word, revel in His love, feel His strength revive you. Then, ask God to show you how to plant yourself by streams of water like the tree in Psalm 1.
Spiritual hydration has a lot to do with our proximity to God. If you want to stay spiritually hydrated, stay close to the Source of Living Water.
“If you want to stay spiritually hydrated, stay close to the Source of Living Water.”
-Lisa Hosler
How do you detect spiritual dehydration in your own life? What signs do you notice? Feel free to share your thoughts in the Comment Section below.
