The Calm Before the Storm

Looks good right? You just going to let it sit there?

I didn’t have much time for a QT (quiet time) yesterday morning. In fact, I had exactly 7 minutes to pray, read scripture, get through reading a devotion, and allow those thoughts to simmer in my mind. NOT ENOUGH TIME.

I went over 7 minutes. In fact, I didn’t get to work when I wanted to. I did my QT in 15 minutes. Still not enough time…(That’s a whole other topic and worthy of discussion) BUT, God did tell me something that morning.

In 2 Samuel 23:16, David pours out some water that he was craving. It had been given to him by fearless men who put their lives at risk just to give him a drink. Why would he do that? He wanted it so badly that his men were willing to put their lives at risk to give him what he wanted. Why, after all of that, would he just pour it out onto the dry, sandy ground? WHY?

¹⁶ So the three mighty men broke through the Philistine lines, drew water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem and carried it back to David. But he refused to drink it; instead, he poured it out before the LORD. – 2 Samuel 23:16

But David wouldn’t drink it; he poured it out as an offering to God, saying, “There is no way, God, that I’ll drink this! This isn’t mere water, it’s their life-blood—they risked their very lives to bring it!” So David refused to drink it.

King David wanted that water so badly. He was thirsty. He had asked for it. And now he had it. It had been given to him as a gift – and great sacrifice had been made to give it to him. And now he pours it out “before the LORD”? He was obviously making a statement.

An interesting question was raised by Oswald Chambers in my devotion this morning.

“What has been like water from the well of Bethlehem to you recently – love, friendship, spiritual blessing?

I thought about that question for a good minute, and the big blessing that came to the forefront of my mind was my relationship with The Benz. And I had to ask myself…why don’t I identify with David?

The answer: I’ve been satisfying myself through this relationship. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think it’s wrong to enjoy the things that God has given us as blessings…but we must not hoard them for ourselves. Why?

If you have become bitter and sour, it is because when God gave you a blessing you clutched it for yourself…If you are always taking blessings to yourself and never learn to pour out anything unto the Lord, other people do not get their horizon enlarged through you. – Oswald Chambers – My Utmost For His Highest (September 3)

I knew in that moment what I had to do. It’s ok that the Benz and I are loving the time we spend together – in fact, it’s a beautiful thing. But if all we do is keep our blessings to ourselves, how can we expect God to keep pouring into us?

Think of it this way – Have you ever had a full cup of coffee sitting in a room for a week or two? No, of course not right? Who would do such a thing? I’ll tell you who…my sister. Anyway, do you know what happened to that coffee after that length of time? It became cold, bitter, and moldy! I wish I had a picture of what it looked like, but the way she described it was disgusting! But when she first had that cup of coffee, it was a wonderful thing. It was filled with warmth, flavor, and energy.

Is this what you have to offer?

Now picture yourself as a coffee pot. From time to time, God will fill you up to the brim with His blessings. We should drink it, savor it, and even share it with others who are craving that ‘coffee’, right? As we pour into others, what happens? Our coffee pot becomes empty, right? That allows God to pour more into us and “make more coffee”. But if we just sit here idle, just enjoying the fact that we have a full pot of coffee (life of blessing), what will happen? It will be wasted, and no one will benefit. Furthermore, we’re not even in a position for God to pour more into us because we have hoarded it for ourselves.

So I’ve decided that the Benz and I need to serve together. I’m not sure yet what specifically we will be doing, but I do know one thing…I don’t want to become bitter, old, moldy coffee. I want to constantly be brewing a fresh pot of blessings from God!

What blessings are you keeping to yourself? What happened to those blessings when you just hoarded them?