I have traveled across the world speaking a message
of hope and restoration, and the statement that I hear over and over again is
this: “I’m so dry and exhausted. There has got to be more to this life that I
am living.”
There is a cry coming from the throne of God for an
awakening to take place in this generation. The busyness and struggle of
everyday life can not only exhaust us but also strain our relationship with
God! One morning God spoke to my heart and said that the best word to describe
how most of us feel is dehydrated!
“We are so thirsty!” Those are the words my family
echoed late one afternoon after we had finished a long hike into the mountains.
In our carelessness we had not carried enough water for our journey. Luckily we
made it out of the woods to the water bottle waiting for us in our car, which
was parked at the end of the hiking trail.
Have you ever felt that way—dry, thirsty, and
desperate for refreshment? I have learned that, too often, you don’t even
realize you’re thirsty or dehydrated until it’s too late in your journey. By
that time it has taken a toll on your body, both physically and mentally, and
your body screams for refreshment.
The same is true of the life journey. So many
people are thirsty and desperately seeking relief for the issues that have left them empty, parched, and exhausted. They are desperately seeking answers!
Life has a way of depleting our spiritual “wells.”
It’s time to head back to the well to get refilled. The Bible is filled with
the answers we need. In the story of a woman Jesus met at Jacob’s well, the
Bible talks about our desperation and thirst, and provides the relief we are
seeking.
In John 4:10 Jesus told the woman, “If you knew the
generosity of God and who I am, you would be asking me for a drink, and I would
give you fresh, living water” (The Message).
So very often, we go to the well out of
desperation. With our buckets in hand, we present our cases to God. We pour out
everything to Him, dumping our guilt, shame, fears, concerns, insecurities,
anxiety, and sins. Rarely, however, do we drink of the life-giving water He
wants to provide. That water would keep us refreshed and free from spiritual
dehydration; but instead, we walk away still dry and thirsty, without receiving
the living water He offers freely.
The “Well Experience”
As a young girl I was lonely, insecure, and
hopelessly searching for identity and purpose. One hot, muggy, Florida morning,
while sitting alone on a concrete bench in the middle of the school courtyard,
I began a journey that would change the course of my life forever. There on
that bench, I learned to hear the voice of God as He sat beside me and talked
with me.
This is the place where Jesus sits, on the well of
Jacob (the deceiver), so that we can see truth clearly and live in continual
freedom and joy and peace. That is where I found Him that day, on a concrete
bench that became my personal “well experience” with Jesus. Throughout my
ensuing years as a wife, mom, pastor’s wife, and evangelist, I have had many
more encounters that have led me to taste the living water. Those encounters
have changed me from a dry and barren land to a fountain that is able to pour
out and lead others to their own well experiences with the Savior.
There is a well experience for everyone. It’s that
moment when Jesus sits down to talk with you alone. The Bible says that Jesus
sat down at Jacob’s well (John 4:6). In doing so He set the stage for a
supernatural encounter with God. The power of the encounter! It is the moment
when Jesus silences the voice of the deceiver (the enemy) in your life. It is a
divine appointment, a specific time when God “shows up” on your behalf. The
moment is marked by His presence, power, and deliverance. It is a realization
that change has been waiting on you, and there is more avail- able than
what you have settled for in your life so far.
This message is for those who long to walk to the
front and worship in God’s presence but feel that the guilt and shame of the
past get in their way and keep them chained to their seats. It is for those who
feel they don’t matter or don’t deserve to have a real relationship with a
loving, caring, healing Savior—those who have become too tired, overwhelmed,
and dry to fight the enemy.
God is waiting on you. In the middle of your
desert, in a life that might feel like a wasteland, He has streams of
refreshing, life-giving water. All you have to do is show up and drink, and you
will never thirst again.
Our physical bodies can go without water for only
three days before they start shutting down. At that point we become unable to
function as we were created to, and our minds start playing tricks on us. In
the same way, when we aren’t regularly filled up spiritually, we are unable to
function properly as Christians. Because of spiritual dehydration, our hope
deteriorates, we lose focus, and we become ineffective in life.
As you take this journey with me, I challenge you
to open yourself up to the God encounters, the well experiences that will
change you from the inside out. In them, you’ll be transformed for a lifetime,
not just a moment.
No matter where you come from or what is in your
past, God still wants to spend time with you, so take these words to heart:
Forget
all that [is behind you]—it is nothing com- pared to what I am going to do. For
I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I
will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry
wasteland.
—Isaiah 43:18–19, NLT
He wants to set you free and give you a fresh
start. He issues second chances upon request. It’s time for you to realize that
your life matters and that God loves you and has a purpose for your life.
You’re not here by chance. He is waiting to have a personal relationship in
which He walks with you and talks with you and leads you on an amazing
adventure full of life and joy and peace and fulfillment.
Buckle up, because this journey will force you to
challenge everything you thought was normal in your weary life. God uses the
dirty, messed up, forgotten nobodies; He heals and sets them free and uses them
to clean up this messy world. It happened to the woman at the well. She didn’t
deserve the kindness Jesus gave her, but He decided that she was worth His
time. God had bigger plans for her than she had for herself—and not just for
her, but also for those she would encounter.
As you embark on this journey let me ask you: Does
God know where you are today? Does He know your circumstances, issues, and
struggles? The answer is absolutely! He knows, and He is preparing an
encounter just for you and Him to have a conversation about that plan for your
life. He has called you to rise up! If you will allow Him, He will walk you
through a journey to find freedom, joy, fulfillment, and purpose as you read
these pages.
Your journey is both temporal and eternal. There
will come a day when you and I will hear these words: “The Spirit and the bride
say, ‘Come!’ And let the one who hears say, ‘Come!’ Let the one who is thirsty
come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life” (Rev.
22:17).
He is waiting to meet with you. Are you thirsty
today? Are you dehydrated by the world and the issues of life? Will you come
and drink?
You can order "Dehydrated" by Karen Schatzline by clicking here.
