Where the Water Begins By Trina Stamey (North Carolina)

The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.   ISAIAH 58:11 (NIV)

I love to sit and watch the creek flowing through our backyard. Sometimes, during dry spells, it slows; but it keeps moving. Streams, creeks, and rivers flow continually all around the area where I live. I’ve often sat beside a fast-moving mountain stream and wondered, Where is all that water coming from? What keeps the water flowing? Where does it begin? When I watch the water rippling in the creek, I honestly don’t know where it begins. However, I do know the source for the spiritual water in my life. Isaiah says that God will make us to be like springs whose waters never fail. God promises to satisfy our needs and to strengthen us, to continually send us blessings and work in us. God’s grace and love continue to flow through me — just like water cascading down falls, rolling over rocks, and endlessly moving.

TODAY'S PRAYER   Source of life, thank you for your love and strength that never fails. Flow through us as we seek to love and serve others. Amen.   * * *     TODAY'S READING   John 7:37-39         THOUGHT FOR THE DAY   God’s love is a stream that never runs dry.         PRAYER FOCUS   Those suffering from a drought