His Grace in the Journey ~ Letting the Waters Clear

Many years ago I heard a gentleman give his testimony of how he came to accept Christ in his life.

 

He shared his life story and the difficulties he had faced.  Once he accepted Christ as his Savior, he was determined to walk daily with Christ.  However, he also shared about his difficulty in ‘hearing’ God.   

Wanting desperately to understand the Lord’s direction for his life, he often struggled with unanswered prayer, an inability to focus directly on Christ, a feeling that he should hear or feel God’s direction for his life.

Towards the end of his testimony, he gave this illustration and it has always stayed with me.

“Imagine you are walking barefoot through a shallow creek.  The sun is shining, the air is warm, and the creek is moving slowly.  As you step into the creek you notice how clear the waters are.  You can see small fish, plant life, the reflection of the sun and clouds,  and the pebbles that line the creek bed. 

However, as you walk and enjoy the cool waters of the creek, you notice that you stir the waters. As you move faster and splash about, you see that the water is no longer clear.  

The waters are murky and stirred up.   

You can no longer see the fish, the plant life, the sky's reflection, the bottom of the creek bed.

What was once a clear stream has become dull, muddy, murky and disheveled, and disorganized.

Then you stop, you are quiet, you stand still.  Then slowly, after some time, the waters once again begin to clear. It doesn’t happen quickly, you have to be patient, you have to be still.  You focus intently on watching the murkiness of the water slowly settle back down to the bottom of the creek bed and the waters become calm and once again…..they become clear.”

I have applied this story over and over again to my life with Christ. 

Often, I am SO busy, that I can’t hear His direction for my life.  I become distracted with the tasks before me, try to make decisions on my own, try to control my circumstances and plan out my future. 

When I am this busy I also will find myself becoming frustrated that I don’t hear my prayers answered, that I can’t seem to hear Him, that I lack the discernment to make God-honoring decisions, that my life is not glorifying His name in my day-to-day activities.

Then I realize that the waters have once again become so murky.  My busyness in life has caused me to stir the waters so much that it is going to take concentrated effort to once again let the waters become clear.   To take dedicated time out of my day to be still in His word.

Then…..when I become still, when I take time out of my day to be quiet and pray, take time to be in His word, when I lay my burdens at the foot of the cross, when I am still – He reveals Himself to me so abundantly.

I do hear His direction for my life, I see Him answer prayers that I thought He didn’t hear, I feel His presence as I walk through my day.  My daughters and I are constantly in awe of how present He is in our lives and how He does reveal Himself to us. 

While sin has separated us from God, the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross has reconciled that separation.  Our sins are forgiven through Christ and we are once again connected to the Lord because of what Jesus did for us.  By simply confessing our sins and asking for forgiveness – Christ casts those sins out and they are forgotten.  We are given a new opportunity to live abundantly for Him and do our very best to glorify Him in our daily lives.

When the busyness of life seems to overwhelm and overtake your day – be still, seek Him out, pray, ask for His forgiveness, and be in His word – have quiet time with the Lord. 

Let the waters clear and hear what His plans are for you.  Feel His abundant love and grace in your life.

Experiencing His Grace in the Journey~

So then faith comes by hearing,

and hearing by the word of God.

Romans 10:17