The Encourager – Heat Wave

We’re having a heat wave this week. There are consequences to growing things. The gas company was here two weeks ago doing an upgrade and they pulled out some azaleas on a very hot day, did some work, then plunked them back in the ground. Unfortunately, they installed the ugly new meter on the front wall of the house instead of the side, so they had to come back on another hot day to re-do the job. The same bushes got pulled up, sat out in the heat for a few hours, then got plunked back in the ground. Meanwhile, I have a row of hydrangeas that always need lots of water (with hydra in their very name) and won’t get any liquid nourishment for many days of dry heat.

The poor azaleas that were violently uprooted experienced two very stressful events in a row with enduring negative effect, while the longsuffering hydrangeas are subject to a high overall stress level which results in a steady drain on their reserves. In both cases, the plants are desperate for water! Therefore, I have my hose trickling at the base of each plant for 20 minutes each morning during this season of extreme heat.

I recently read the verse, “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.” – John 15:4 What’s the point? Rain falls to the ground, the plant’s roots suck it up and distribute it to all the leaves, and eventually the plant flowers and bears fruit. If no water falls near the base of the plant, it withers and dies. Jesus Christ is the Living Water, and we all need it, especially in a heat wave. Whether we’ve been shocked by a serious unexpected crisis (or two in a row), or there’s an ongoing difficult situation in our lives which is draining our energy, we need Jesus.

There’s a human tendency to move away from God during difficult times, to distract ourselves with our drug of choice (work, entertainment, food, relationships, alcohol, money, politics, etc.) but we actually need to move closer to Him. Ideally, everyone who belongs to Christ is spending at least a little time every day reading the Word, meditating on it, and praying. Regular fellowship with other believers is necessary fertilizer. But when we’re in the Refiner’s fire, we need extra spiritual refreshment on a daily basis. Our enemy is delighted when troubles occupy our minds to such an extent that they overpower our memory of God’s grace. Don’t let Satan win!

Let’s call upon the powerful name of the Lord. “The snares of death encompassed me; the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me; I suffered distress and anguish. Then I called on the name of the Lord: ‘O Lord, I pray, deliver my soul!’” – Psalm 116:3-4. “I love the Lord, because he has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy. Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live….I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord.” – Psalm 116:1-2, 13.

Jesus told the Samaritan woman at the well, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” – John 4:10 When we’re hot and thirsty, all we need to do is ask. Go directly to the Source! And let’s not forget that others are watching how we deal with a crisis or ongoing strain. “Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony.” – John 4:39 Let’s abide in Christ.

Time to water the garden…

God is faithful,
j