LIFE-SOAKED

As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it (Isaiah 55:10, 11).

This morning, what the NWS calls a "vigorous early spring storm," is dumping several inches of snow on Gunnison County. Currently I have about 5 inches on the deck, and it is coming down hard in big wet flakes. This snow won't stay long. It will melt quickly when the vigorous early spring sun returns. But every square inch of the ground will be soaked with the moisture contained in that snow. In a few days or weeks, all kinds of vegetation will begin to show the signs of new life. Eventually, the land will be covered with an almost unimaginable profusion of grasses and wildflowers that mark a western Colorado summer.

God revealed to Isaiah that His word works the very same way in our hearts. The Bible encourages believers to take some time every morning, before the thoughts and cares of the new day even have a chance to crowd our minds, to read and meditate on a little bit of God's word. That word, invisibly, and often imperceptibly, soaks our inner man with the life of God. That word, whether we can feel it at the time or not, acts upon our hearts just as surely as that snow outside is making the ground wet. The word cleanses, refreshes, rejuvenates, and redirects our hearts.

I believe that consistently taking just a little time early in the day to soak in the life of God through His word, His presence, and some two-way communication, is the single greatest key to living a long, healthy, stable, Godly life. Go ahead, let His life soak in today. You will never be the same.