One of my passions…that ‘one thing’ I love to do…is hearing The Voice of God, listening for the unlimited ways He speaks, perceiving His Presence and ‘translating’ that conversation into life experiences. I also receive indescribable joy from seeing others learn to do the same. Sometimes I think we, as Believers, have made ‘translating God’ too complicated. The problem is…we frequently look for Charleston Heston as Moses (in the movie “The Ten Commandments”) type encounters, a deep booming voice that calls our name. Unfortunately, that IS NOT the norm. Let me explain…
So, I’m at the Box, CrossFit 523, coaching and participating in a WOD (Workout Of the Day). We were doing “Annie on The Run.”
- For non-CrossFitters that’s a rep scheme of 50, 40, 30, 20, 10 Dubs (double-unders with a speed jump rope) and ab mat sit-ups, with a 200 meter run thrown in between each round just for fun! Ha!
- And, if you can’t do dubs, well then you have to triple the number for the jumps! So, each person ends up doing something like this:
- 150 Single jumps + 50 sit-ups + 200 m run, 120 single jumps + 40 sit-ups + 200 m run, 90 single jumps + 30 sit-ups + 200 m run, 60 singles jumps + 20 sit-ups + 200 m run, 30 single jumps + 10 + run!
Did I mention, we are doing this in sweltering heat coupled with smothering humidity. Ahhhhhh, the delight and discipline of CrossFit! Well, the Box is located in an industrial complex that includes other businesses. We run out in back of our unit. Music is blasting to help us not hear our pain as we press through each round. On one of the laps (200 m runs) a guy who works in a neighboring unit is standing outside right in my path, and he’s holding two ice-cold bottles of water! I mean, you could see the chill running down the plastic bottles. Boy, did it look refreshing! He calls out to me, “…here’s water for you!” I thank him and grab a bottle for myself and the extra one to share with another sweaty runner. He calls out again, “…I know The Lord wanted me to give you that! You have to HYDRATE!”
Whoa…I thought to myself! Now THAT’S Prophetic! That was the Voice of God! HYDRATE!
- In the difficulty of life circumstances…
- In what may feel like a ‘dry season’…
- In desert places…when your soul THIRSTS for a Word, for a breakthrough, for an ANSWER…take time – DAILY, MULTIPLE TIMES A DAY, as you run this race to HYDRATE!
- Push the pause button and take a drink of LIVING WATER!
You make springs gush forth in the valleys;
they flow between the hills… — Psalm 104.10
It couldn’t be that simple…could it? Just, stop and drink? Drink in His Presence in Worship? Drink in His compassion in Prayer? Drink in His comfort through Holy Spirit? Drink in His Counsel through His Word? Just, hit pause and drink? HYDRATE?
Yaaaaassssssss! Yes! Yes! You see, just as our bodies lose electrolytes (sodium, potassium, magnesium, chloride, etc.) when we sweat (to maintain the correct balance within our physical systems) we must replace the fluid lost! HYDRATE! Well, all truth is parallel, meaning – God will use things in the natural to help us understand spiritual truths! So, He sent a messenger, a business neighbor that held two cold bottles of water for thirsty runners on a hot day and told me to HYDRATE! I just LOVE The Lord! Don’t you?
How about you and I make an effort to do two things:
- HYDRATE when we thirst! When life is hot and dry and challenging and difficult…just push PAUSE and HYDRATE! See John 4.14, 7.37-39; Revelation 21.6-8, 22.1-2
- Share a drink of LIVING WATER with a thirsty neighbor, spouse, parent, child, disciple, pastor…friend! In other words – REFRESH ONE ANOTHER!!!
God Loves YOU and so do I!
Bernardine W. Daniels