Fill Me, Lord, Again

The lake keeps going down. Every day the shore line gets further away from the bank. A dried-up lake is depressing. It’s unnatural. Or is it?

The goal of a drought is to dry things up. What’s natural is that the places where water used to be will lose what they have unless more water is added. Evaporation is a continuous action of water being drawn back into the atmosphere. Typically that water is replenished by rain runoff but without rain, since evaporation doesn’t stop, what little you had will soon be taken away. The lake will go down.

Peter found a corollary in people who live in a drought. They are like waterless streams. We call waterless streams ditches. Out west they call them washes. Dry as a bone unless it rains. Because they aren’t taking in, they’re going to run out.

These drought-laden people live with no understanding of what it means to be filled and overflowing. They look at God as they might at clouds and only long for Him to make things better, to help block out the misery of the scorching sun. Far from their hopes are the cleansing and replenishing rains that can actually bless their lives.

What they need is God’s reign in their lives—the filling influence of His Spirit within them to overflow and outflow with power for life. It is the natural expectation for believers. We’re supposed to be full. Paul’s words were: be in a constant state of being continuously filled with the Spirit of God.  How? Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Get closer to the “spicket” and keep asking Him to turn the handle. To know where the water comes out and avoid getting near it is ridiculous.

I look at the lake and wish for what was.  But by faith I anticipate what will be. This drought won’t last forever. The rains will come. The lake will fill. Refreshing times will come again.

I look at my life and dream of what is possible. I settle myself underneath the source of God’s filling and ask Him to let it flow. Reign on me, Lord. Fill my life with the joy of who You are and all you want to do. Fill me till I want no more…at least until next time.