Thirst, living water, and the journey of the spiritual life

Magia Blanca Waterfall at La Paz Waterfall Garden, dd 2012

In reading the 'Green Book', A Guide to Prayer For All Who Seek God, published by the Upper Room Books this week, I've read some good quotes by Howard L. Rice on the journey of the spiritual life.

This week's theme (if I'm on the right week), is "living water".  That in itself causes me to relax.  When I think of living water, I'm transported to several different pocket wildernesses.  I'm besides streams of flowing water or waterfalls.  I am also transported to waterfalls in Costa Rica that I've seen and rivers and creeks that I've been to here, there, and yonder.  I am also transported to the ocean's edge, watching and feeling the the water flow to the edge of the shore and then out again.  Additionally, "living water" brings me to Christ as Jesus Christ referred to himself as living water and that one would not be thirsty if they drank from the water of life.

Water plays a big part for me in my spiritual life, as does fire and much of creation.  Last week I put together a powerpoint slide primarily of water pictures and some of my other nature pictures to Keith Green's "Create in Me A Clean Heart".  For me, the pictures of the streams, creeks, waterfalls, and oceans fit creating a clean heart.

Rueben Job wrote a three paragraph entry on "living water" for this week's theme.  Here is the middle paragraph:

"The thirst for God is universal because we have been created with a longing for the Creator.  This desire to know and be known by the One who made us and loves us is often ignored, denied, and finally buried under a multitude of pursuits and interests.  But then some event in life invites or forces us to pause, and the desire for God comes rushing back to our awarenss.  And once again we know that real life is impossible without the companionship of the One who first gave us the gift of life and who sustains us even now.  We know for certain that we need living water; we need what only God can give if we are to really live." (325-326)

There are three quotes by Howard L. Rice in this week's section.  All are from his book Reformed Spirituality (1991).  This is not a book I have read yet, but it is now on my wish list. ☺

Though the quotes don't include page numbers in the green book, I was able to find the references from amazon.com by looking through the book online.

Here are some of the thoughts/quotes of Howard Rice that caught my attention in the green book:

"We can be energized and motivated by our personal experiene of God, so that we have both the vision and the strength to go out and engage in acts of risk-taking on behalf of others." (p. 327 green book; p. 168 Reformed Spirituality)

"The biblical promise that if we truly seek, we shall find God is the basis for the journey of the spiritual life.  In spite of the difficulties along the way, the times of dryness when nothing seems to be happening, the discouragement and distraction that comes to all of us, and the times of falling back and wondering if we have made any progress at all, the journey is one from which we cannot turn back.  The testimony of the saints of all the ages is that the journey is worth it; that God really is love; and that the love God offers is the most important reality that can be known by any of us.  Such knowledge enables a person to have tremendous power to take what happens, to surmount great difficulties, and to grow in the face of tragedy and deep disappointment." (p. 329 green book; p. 198 Reformed Spirituality)

In talking about the journey, the pilgrimage: "We are given new opportunities for relationship with others along the way.  We find new possibilities within us that we had not thought possible. The adventure of the Christian life is one that demands all we can give it.  But the testimony of the ages is that the goal of the adventure is well worth the struggle.  The hungry heart of the pilgrim is fed along the way."  (p. 330 green book; p. 199 Reformed Spirituality)


Wherever you may be on your journey, whatever you may be going through or dealing with, it is my hope that you find some living water to sustain you in the quotes above.

Blessings on your journey!

~Debra