Stick and Hosepipe
by Malcolm Wood
I had to unblock some of our drains a little while ago. It was some time since they’d been attended to and the mud and silt had built up to such an extent that the water wasn’t draining away. The job was made particularly difficult owing to the design of the drain. The down pipe was in a position which restricted access to the drain itself. I found the best method in dealing with it was to use a stick to prod, stir up and loosen the mud, and at the same time have the hosepipe continually running water down the drain. The combined application of both the stick and the hosepipe brought the necessary breakthrough and the drain was fit for its purpose once more.
From time to time we encounter blockages in our lives. We struggle and aren’t able to handle the challenges life brings to us. At these times we need to take the ‘stick and hosepipe’ approach to bring the breakthrough and clear the blockage.
My stick is the Word of God. The Scripture verse above says the Word of God is sharp and can penetrate those hidden places, beginning to stir and deal with blocked and hardened areas. My hosepipe is the Holy Spirit, often referred to in terms of flowing water.
Yes, we need both the Word and the Spirit to be rightly applied in our lives so we can become the people God intended us to be.
Correct balance between the two is essential for a successful outcome. If I’d just used the stick I might still be there trying to dislodge the blockage! On the other hand if I’d only used the hosepipe I would have had a flood on my hands because the water had nowhere to go.
As we seek the Lord to help us to apply the truth of His Word in our lives perhaps our prayer should be that found in an old hymn by Mary Lathbury and Alexander Groves :-
O send Thy Spirit, Lord, now unto me,
That he may touch my eyes, and make me see;
Show me the truth concealed within Thy word,
And in thy book revealed I see thee Lord.
Bless Thou the bread of life to me, to me,
As thou didst bless the loaves by Galilee;
Then shall all bondage cease, all fetters fall,
And I shall find me peace, my all-in-all! Amen.
Malcolm Wood and his wife Anna became part of the Ellel family as House Managers at Ellel Grange in 1990. Since then they have been involved with many aspects of the developing Ministry. From 2001 until 2015 they were Directors of Ellel Scotland where they hosted several International Schools and Operation Blairmore and helped pioneer the exciting Creative Inspiration Weeks. They have three sons.
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