Dry

By Barbara Chadwick 

“You have dry eyes.”

“How can that be? My eyes are constantly tearing up.”

“Yes, I know, but those tears are not quality tears. They do not provide enough lubrication.”
I thought the ophthalmologist was a little crazy.  Later, I thought, that’s so spiritual. You know what I mean?  Sometimes we are spiritually dry. We pray at morning and evening devotions, at meals, at Sunday School and Church prayer meetings but they are not quality prayers!  Sometimes they are rote prayers – saying the same words every time or sometimes we say words that we think are expected of us.

So at first I thought well that’s wrong!
 
But what are the options?

#1 -  We could stop praying and going to church and telling others about God’s love and wait until we - feel - the Spirit. That’s spiritually dangerous. That would be like someone who is dehydrated waiting until it felt right to drink water.

#2 - We continue praying as always. We continue to do those things we were taught because we know that God is faithful.

Psalms 37:7; 23; 27 encourages us to wait for the Lord.  Be silent before the Lord and wait expectantly for Him…  A man’s steps are established by the Lord, and He takes pleasure in his way. Though he falls, he will not be overwhelmed, because the Lord holds his hand… do what is good, and dwell there forever. For the Lord loves justice and will not abandon his faithful ones.

Did you notice that the scripture says, wait expectantly? – like waiting for a loved one to arrive at the airport; knowing that when the passengers deplane and that special someone walks into the terminal it will be very sweet. When we come into a prayer time expecting God to be there He hears and His response to us is very sweet.

and the Lord holds his hand?  You know those times when you held the hand of a child, keeping them safe from traffic, from the river, or from the crowd of people at the fair and the child pulled out of your grip and ran into harm’s way? Do you remember how scared and frustrated you felt?  But, don’t forget that Jesus says in John 10:29, …No one can snatch them (believers) out of my hand.  The Lord holds our hand.

So:

WAIT,

              EXPECT,
                                   DO GOOD

and mentally picture yourself enfolded within God’s capable and faithful hand.