Readings for today: 2 Kings 3:1-4:17, Acts 14:8-28, Psalms 140, Proverbs 17:22
On one of my trips to Ethiopia, we met with a group of denominational leaders to launch a new regional training center. The people in this part of the country are beautiful and industrious. They engage in backbreaking work every single day. They are mainly pastoralists who live a semi-nomadic lifestyle depending on the rains. They herd cattle and sheep. They raise camels and goats. They grow mouthwatering fruit. However, they are located pretty far from Addis Ababa which is the capital city of the country. Because of the distance, they do not get a lot of aid from their government or even their denominational leadership. In addition, their remote location and nomadic lifestyle has made it difficult for them to connect with NGO’s and Christian non-profits. Different church groups have come and gone over the years but the challenges are too much for them to overcome.
The leaders we met with shared all this with us as we talked about what a partnership might look like moving forward. One of them referenced the story we read today from 2 Kings. He told us it has felt like they’ve been wandering in the wilderness for years with no water. They have been praying for God to do what He did for Elisha and the kings. Fill the dry streams with water. Flood their valley and their land with resources so they can help their people and bring them to Christ. He truly believed the Petros Network was an answer to their prayers and he has been right. The partnership God led us to forge with these brothers and sisters is leading to incredible fruit as hundreds of churches are now being planted and thousands brought to Christ. Further plans for education and clean water access are also being made as we continue to pray for God to fill the dry steams with His Living Water!!
Where do you need Living Water in your life? The prophet Jeremiah warns us not to seek to quench out thirsty souls from cisterns of our own making. Instead we are to quench our thirst in Christ. We are to come to Him and let Him refresh and renew us every day. Too often, we make our plans just like the kings did. We do not consult God. We do what we think is best. And we end up in the desert. Wandering in the wilderness. Struggle to survive. Today’s passage calls us to “inquire of the Lord” when we find ourselves in those spaces. To seek His will through His Word and in prayer. To engage in worship as we seek His presence. Intimacy with Christ is the only thing that can truly quench our thirst and satisfy our hunger. His abiding Presence is the source of Life itself and our connection to Him is vital if we are to flourish.
Engage in self-examination today. Ask Christ to reveal to you those areas of your life where you are trusting in your own wisdom and strength. Engage in prayer today. Ask Christ to give you a hunger and thirst for His Presence. Meditate on God’s Word today. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal His will to you through the text. Most of all, trust Christ is for you. He loves you. Christ longs to become a spring inside you eternally flowing with Living Water so you will never be thirsty again.
Readings for tomorrow: 2 Kings 4:18-5:27, Acts 15:1-35, Psalms 141, Proverbs 17:23