Living water...

I was catching up with a friend yesterday. I told her how I felt like I was on top of a proverbial mountain; how God was bringing such peace and restoration to my life.  How I felt that God was revealing to me a purpose in my life and giving me the words to share with others.  It's an absolutely glorious feeling.

Yet I can't help but feel anxious at the same time, because I've been on the mountain top before and it's usually followed by a trip through the valley.  I feel like I just emerged from the valley, I don't want to go back there!

Then she shared with me this illustration: if I was a serious mountain climber I would never be able to hang out on the mountain top for very long.  The air is thin there and it would be dangerous to stay there too long.  And then she asked me, why do we fight the valley? Valleys are typically very beautiful.

I mulled this over for a while and then I found myself googling "valley".  I came up with a lot words like low, dark, foggy which are intimidating words.  But what I also found is that almost every definition or description of a valley said "often having a river or stream flowing through it".

I immediately recalled the story of Jesus talking to the Samaritan woman at the well. Jesus asks her for a drink and she taken aback because Jews did not associate with Samaritans and Jesus says to her "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would given you living water." (John 4:10). She asks where to find this living water and Jesus says "Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life." (verses 13 & 14).

I dug a little deeper and found John 7:37-39 Now on the last day, the day of the great feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the scripture said, 'From his inmost being will flow rivers of living water.'"  But this he spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given because Jesus was not yet glorified.

It's a simple and well known fact that our physical bodies need water to live. But God designed us that we would need water to spiritually live too; living water, the Holy Spirit.  So as marvelous as these mountain tops are I think walking through the valley is what allows us to drink in the living water.

Surprisingly, a trip through the valley doesn't sound as scary, maybe even a little exciting.  Knowing that God will be there guiding my path and restoring my soul...

The Lord is my Shepard, I shall not want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures;

He leads me beside quiet waters.

He restores my soul; 

He guides me in the path of righteousness

For His name's sake.

Even though I walk through the valley

of the shadow of death, 

I fear no evil,

for You are with me;

Your rod and Your staff,

they comfort me.

Psalm 23:1-4