That We may Believe: Reading Through JohnSample

There was a time when I became spiritually dry, to the point I stopped attending church. 

Disappointments had piled up, I’d gone through a divorce, and I was a single mother of three. I deliberately chose to avoid all contact with former friends. I stopped reading the Bible, praying, and became hyper-critical of people who claimed to be Christians. 

This path created a desert in my soul. Soon, spiritual delusions began. I imagined other Christians hating me, that God didn’t love me, and finally, that He wasn’t even real. 

I looked for other things to quench my spiritual thirst. I turned to work, friendships that did not honor God, and even TV dramas. None satisfied, and my spiritual dehydration increased. 

But then harsh circumstances brought me to my knees. I’d come to the point where I knew I could not help myself. I was overwhelmed by consequences I’d created. My hands were empty, and I was afraid. I thought if I turned to God, He’d punish me. It took me years to find the courage to ask Him for help. 

Having nothing left to lose, I knelt alone in our yard late one night. Brokenhearted and fearful, I took the first small sip He offered. My hands shook as I drank in His words: “I have loved you with an everlasting love” (Jeremiah 31:3). 

I gulped that water, pleaded for more, and the desert in my soul bloomed. Jesus promised to quench my thirst with His presence if I’d only come to Him. 

Promise kept. He reminds me every day I am His.

Are you thirsty today? Have you walked away from Him and can’t find your way back? Have you yet to trust Him? If so, is there an area you need to trust Him more fully? What is Christ saying to you regarding that?

~ Deb Gorman