Water in Dry Country

In August, water is everything. Western hunters glass the water holes because game must come to drink. In dry country, the animals organize their entire existence around the water source — travel routes, bedding, feeding, everything orbits the creek that still runs.The psalmist saw a deer panting for streams in dry country and recognized his own soul. Not politely interested in God. Panting. Desperate. Organized entirely around finding the stream, because the alternative is death.Most spiritual dryness comes from trying to live off substitutes — entertainment, achievement, busyness — that promise refreshment and deliver sand. The soul was built for one Stream. When you feel the drought setting in, don't reach for another substitute. Go to the water. The deer doesn't apologize for its thirst, and neither should you. Panting for God is not weakness; it is the truest instinct you have.Prayer:Lord, my soul is thirsty, and I have spent too long trying to satisfy it at dry holes. You are the living water — the only Stream that doesn't run dry.I'm coming to drink. Refresh what the heat of this life has withered. Teach me to organize my days around You, the way the wild animals organize theirs around water. Amen.Challenge:Track your 'watering holes' for one day: note every place you turn for refreshment when you're tired, stressed, or empty. How many of them actually satisfy? Replace one dry hole with time at the true Stream.