Get Ready For It!
Since we moved to our new location, I have had a bit of a problem with water. At first, our only water supply was from a very dirty creek. But, after rainy season started, the creek got so dirty, that it was impossible to use at all. That is when we started relying on rain water for our daily water needs.
But, here in the valley, it doesn’t rain every day. Some times we can go days at a time with no rain fall. That creates a bit of a problem for us. We emptied out every barrel that we had, and placed it where the water from the roof will run into the barrels. As long as we get a really good down pour, we can fill those barrels up really fast.
As you might imagine, we are very frugal with our water. We don’t want to waste any, since it isn’t much fun to run out of water when you are hot and sticky and just really want a bath.
Last week was one of those times. We had gone days without any rain, and the water level in the barrels was getting dangerously low. I kept praying, and reminding God that we do require at least a little bit of water to survive.
One morning, I went out and found only a little bit of slimy greenish, bug infested water left in the bottom of my barrels. Once again, I lifted up my heart to God. “Lord, you know that we need water. Could you please send some?” I prayed. I heard that still small voice reply, “If you want water, then you need to get ready for it.”
So I flew into action, glancing furtively at the sky to see if any black clouds were headed my way. I grabbed the bleach bottle and poured a generous supply into my nearly empty barrel. Then I scrubbed until the plastic looked brand new. I then dumped out the filthy water, and surveyed the results. I now had completely empty, very clean barrels. Then I went back to my other work for the morning.
Within a few hours, the storm clouds appeared, and it POURED! We ran out into the rain, grabbed a big tarp and held it up to the downpour, letting the water pour into one of the barrels. We were soon soaked to the skin, enjoying a much needed shower, while we watched our barrel slowly fill with water. By the next morning, all of our barrels were full to overflowing.
Our need of water is a lot like our need of the Holy Spirit. But just like dirty water barrels, if we want to be filled, we need to get ready for it. Each day, we need to clean out the slimy green gunk of the world from our hearts and make room for the Holy Spirit to fill us up to overflowing. Then we can expect the showers of God’s grace to rain abundantly on us.