Finding God's Presence ~The Rush of Living Water

by Nan Jones  @NanJonesAuthor

I stood at the kitchen sink washing dishes. The suds billowed, and the water streamed, reflecting the tears flowing freely down my cheeks. My tears had been bottled up for so long, I just couldn't seem to control them any longer. I was tired. Weary. Worn.

From deep inside I heard His quiet whisper, Come to Me, Nan.

Well, being the godly woman that I am I squared my jaw, stuck out my bottom lip and scrubbed those dishes even harder! My shoulders shook with sobs. I was angry with the Lord, disappointed that He had allowed us to be unemployed for three years. We were down to $19. We had just applied for emergency food stamps, sold our college rings...it was awful. I couldn't even buy my wrinkle cream. Now, that was a crisis!

In His tenderness, the Lord spoke to me again, Come to Me, Nan, and rest.

This time I listened.

"I'm coming, Lord." 

I dried my hands and shuffled to my study. There I knelt by the loveseat and began to cry...and cry...and cry.

Give it to me, Nan. All of it. Your heart has grown stagnant with debris that is blocking my Living Water from flowing. I want to heal you and repair the broken places, but there's no room for Me until you empty your heart of the stagnant water.

That unleashed the dam. 

My cries became gut-wrenching - groans too deep for words. I offered the embarrassment of food stamps, the frustration of no jobs. The fear and doubt of paying the electric bill and keeping a roof over our heads. I dug deep and poured out the pain from various places of ministry, my brother's suicide and daddy's death. Debris from years earlier surfaced and I offered its pain to Him.

At last, the dirty, stagnant water in my heart was gone.

Exhaustion crept in as I sat quietly before the Lord. Broken pieces lay in my heart, but they were no longer covered with stagnant water...they were now exposed the the Lord. 

I want you to praise Me, Nan. Don't praise me for your circumstances. Praise Me for who I am. Your praise will turn the valve that releases my Living Water. It will flow freely through you and bring you healing and hope and peace.

I began slowly, but surely.

"I love You, Lord. You are my Rock and my Redeemer. You are the Mighty God who set me free. My Deliverer and Friend."

I felt the rush of Living Water deep in my spirit.

"You are my strong tower. I run to You and find safety. You are Jehovah-jireh, my provider. You are Jehovah-rapha, my healer. You are El Roi, the God who sees me and knows all about it. I lift Your name on high, Lord. You alone are worthy of my praise."

The weight lifted. The healing balm of Gilead surrounded my broken places. His peace blanketed me with His love.

Jesus said, 
"Come unto Me, all of you who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest." 
~ Matthew 11:28.

But when He bids us come it requires action. It requires a response, "Yes, Lord. I'm coming."

The Lord would say to you, "Sweet child of Mine, come unto Me and I will give you rest."

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Tweetables to Encourage Others

Are you broken? I trust this might help you. (Click to Tweet)

"There's no room for Me until you empty your heart of the stagnant water." @NanJonesAuthor shares hope. (Click to Tweet)



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If you received Morning Glory via email, please visit the Morning Glory page. I'm featuring Chris Rice singing "Come to Jesus." What a simply beautiful song!