Psalm 37:3-4, HCSB
Our Daily Bread once included the story of an experience Bill Leslie had when he was pastor of LaSalle Street Church in Chicago. There was a difficult period when he felt as if his soul was becoming a desert. He was giving and giving of himself, and felt that he was becoming spiritually drained.
While in this state of spiritual drought, he struck up a conversation with a devout Christian woman. He told her he felt like a pump, and the demands on him at the time so constantly pumped him that he was running dry. That godly woman answered, “Didn't you volunteer to be pumped when you prayed to be used by the Lord? Don't ask your people to quit pumping. Drive your pipe deeper. You need to get down where there's water again.”
Perhaps you’ve felt this way for a long time. It’s a condition not exclusive to those in full-time ministry. The demands of life, work and family can pile in on us so that we feel that we are getting nowhere. We give and give of ourselves and the well is being drained dry. And so far, the only thing which has kept you going has been your commitment to Christ. “Drive your pipe deeper.”
But it matters a great deal where you drive that “pipe.” It makes a difference what we allow into our hearts and minds, especially during the dry spells. If I am sinking my “pipe” deeper into a source just as dry as I am, what good is that? So let me suggest two places your “pipe” needs to be driven.
Drive your pipe deeper into what you know of God to be true. Right now that seems to be the only thing you can really count on. At this point your faith goes beyond merely hoping and wishing—you’re leaning on Him more than ever because of what you know to be true. He has held you up in the past, and He is holding you up now. Don’t depend on yourself any longer. Forget about your own personal resources—you already know they’re not enough. Put Him first and lean back in His arms. Know that He is there for you, providing help and comfort for you when there is no other source for it.
Drive your pipe deeper into His Word. There are so many wonderful promises and comforting words to be found there that we are severely depriving ourselves of spiritual nourishment when we neglect reading the Bible. One example is Psalm 33:4, which reminds us, “For the word of the LORD is right, and all His work is trustworthy” (HCSB). Another version tells us that “He is faithful in all he does” (NIV).
During the dry spells in your walk with God, make sure you stay rooted and grounded in what you know to be true. The Living Water is there waiting for you to drink deeply of it. --Rocky Henriques, www.uticabc.com