I’ve historically been terrible at drinking water. Recently, as I was sitting, enjoying the cool breeze on a favourably conditioned day, I felt a nudge to hydrate – I actually hadn’t had any water and it was already 2pm. It dawned on me that on a cool day I don’t get very thirsty, let alone even think of drinking water. And immediately I thought: Cool days have a way of deceiving me into thinking I don’t need water, but the dehydration inevitably catches up, either after a few days of this poor drinking or when the temperature suddenly goes up 10° overnight.

If you are as terrible as I am, you’ve probably chugged down loads of water just before bed on day 3 or so of poor drinking. Despite this scurrying effort, you’ve still gone to sleep feeling parched because you’ve taken as much as you can in that moment but it still isn’t enough to make up for consecutive days of dehydration. The next day the weather is pretty cool and, well, you don’t wake up feeling as parched as you did when you slept (the grace of a new day); then you slip back into the poor hydration habit. 

Now, on a hot day the body not only demands water but loses it too so it’s not waiting for day 3 to protest against these poor habits. This weather necessitates on the go, and cannot wait for “later” replenishment. If you’ve been drinking well you’ll be quite alright on a hot day. The demand for higher water intake won’t be an uphill battle for you – you’ve been training yourself and building the capacity for it. But if you’ve been like me, no amount of water you drink on that day will prevent the symptoms of dehydration. You’re simply ill-prepared to deal with “weather breakdowns”.

Read all the above again and substitute water with the Word as we relate all this back to our spiritual lives. Good times can deceive us into thinking we don’t need God. But waiting for a scorching day to connect with God (through the Word and prayer) can leave us feeling the symptoms of “dehydration” on a difficult day. Prolonged dehydration, coupled with consecutive trials will be the beginning of death. Connecting with God on a cool day is setting yourself up for success, creating a water reserve – a spiritual foundation – that will ensure that when that heat wave comes you have the tenacity for it. Because it will come.  

When (not if) you come against hard times you won’t need to try to chug down the whole Bible in the midst of a struggle if you’ve been replenishing throughout the day, everyday. I encourage both you and I, may we stay hydrated both physically and spiritually. Hydration affords us a patience during heat waves that dehydration wouldn’t. May we be: 

…like trees planted along the riverbank,

bearing fruit each season.

[Whose] leaves never wither,

and prosper in all [we] do. ~Psalms 1:3 paraphrased

I pray that [through a relationship with Him] we will be

continually strengthened with all 

the power that comes from his 

glorious might; so that we will be able to persevere and be patient in

any situation, joyfully… ~ Colossians 1:11 paraphrased

I mentioned the grace of a new day, does the Word not say:  The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases;

his mercies never come to an end;

they are new every morning…

~ Lamentations 3:22-23

So when you’re facing a struggle and it seems to have let up after a good night’s sleep, this isn’t a sign to relax and forget about the need to hydrate. Instead, this outpouring of God’s mercy should induce a deep desire and desperation to abide in Him. So again, I pray that [through a relationship with Him] we will be:

continually strengthened with all 

the power that comes from his 

glorious might; so that we will be able to persevere and be patient in

any situation, joyfully… ~ Colossians 1:11 paraphrased