A Letter from the Lord
by Beatriz Benestad
For almost 10 years I have been living in South America and in my garden I grow papyrus plants. Every morning I can see them outside my window. These plants have long, sleek stems that open upwards into a multitude of smaller stems. Actually they look like small hands being held upwards.
In the early morning hours they are covered with drops of rain, or dewdrops falling during the hours of dawn. These drops glimmer in the sunshine before they fall to the ground, watering the plants during the long hours under the tropical burning sunshine. If these plants don’t get enough water, they fall over, break down, and shrink into dry, dead, brown stalks.
One morning, looking out at the papyrus plants, the Lord reminded me about the importance of taking time out with Him before the day starts. Like the papyruses He wants us to stretch towards Him to receive His life-giving water, so that we don’t wither during the day. Jesus said: ‘Those who drink the water that I will give them will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give them will become a spring which will provide them with life-giving water and give them eternal life’ (John 4:13-14).
It’s so easy to become a busy bee and push aside our vital time of being with the Lord, reading His word, praying and just waiting upon Him in silence. For me the best time for this is in the morning.
In ancient times the papyrus plants were used to make paper, and to write upon. The plants went through a special process, and soon their green lush stems were converted to paper, where the scribes could write down important messages (often words dictated by the king!). But the plants needed to be fresh and green to fulfill this purpose.
You see, when we come close to the Lord, and let Him fill us with life-giving water, He is not only refreshing us but can also use us to write His messages upon, to reach those who need a special greeting from Him during the day.
In Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians he says that ‘Christ himself wrote this letter….not with ink , but with the Spirit of the living God, and not on stone tablets, but on human hearts’ (2 Corinthians 3:3).
Prayer: Dear Lord, please forgive me for not given You priority as much as I should. I want to receive Your living water! Help me to open up my heart to You today, so that You can talk to me, touch me, refresh my heart, and use me as a letter for those that I meet today, who really need Your blessing on their life! Amen.
Beatriz Benestad is a Norwegian national, a medical doctor and a psychiatrist who went to work in Colombia in 2002. In 2003 she did the NETS School at Pierrepont and has been Ellel's representative in Colombia since 2006, training and ministering to pastors and leaders.
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