A few years back, the Lord provided me with some unforgettable opportunities to spend time abroad. I spent about 7 months living and studying in Arequipa, Peru and periodically traveling to some other areas of South America. Now, I don’t say all of that to brag and to let you know what an extensive world traveler I am (if only you knew the trips my father has taken….what I’ve experienced is nothing!), I merely wanted to set up some background for a thought I had this morning.
While this was an amazing experience, and I would never trade it for anything, much of my time spent
abroad I was physically miserable. I was constantly tired, usually sick to my stomach, and almost everyday feeling weak. I mysteriously gained weight. Took several trips to local doctors. A couple of times ended up bed ridden. From time to time I was up throughout the night either vomiting or struggling with diarrhea or both. Physically I was beat. Why? Well, I wish I could have realized at the time that it was the food and the water that I was putting into my body. Although it was filtered, my body was not used to the Peruvian water. The food we ate was not food I was used to – it was grown and produced in an entirely different part of the world, prepared in a different way and using different ingredients. After months and months of putting this fuel into my body, I guess I couldn’t take it.
And this morning, the Lord drew a parallel in my mind between that experience and my spiritual life. Why do I feel so weak in my walk with the Lord at times? How can I seem to be so distant from Him and out of the reach of His healing hands? It’s because I’m using the wrong fuel. Those times in my life where I’m depressed or I can see that I’m producing no spiritual fruit….when I stop and evaluate it, EVERY TIME I see that there some point that I slipped in my devotions. That time that I spend before God in His WORD. My time seems to be taken with shopping for our home, or watching tv, or spending time on the internet, or focusing on my own self and what I want – no time was given to the Lord that day. No time was spent feeding my soul and my spirit with His precious Word – His direction and comfort and encouragement to His people. Instead I was feeding myself with the things of this world – substance that is foreign to a redeemed child of God. Its not what we were meant to survive on. It makes us weak and sickly, and most times it leaves us unable to function as a true CHRISTian.
Instead of feeding on junk today, feed on the sweet Word of the Lord. I know I sure am hungry for His presence this morning.
He wants to reveal Himself to us! It just takes us turning to His word -
For He satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness! (Ps. 107:9)
