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My sister is a self-proclaimed non-green thumb. She loves to beat this old joke to death: “I give new meaning to hanging plants!” Having not grown up with green and living things in pots around me, it never occurred to me in my early years of homemaking to buy indoor plants. When I did, I researched to find the plant I could least likely kill, which turned out to be the Peace Lily.
Apparently, the Peace Lily is considered nearly “un-killable” because it visibly droops when thirsty, making its need obvious, and it quickly recovers after watering.
Like water to my Lily, the Word of God revives the soul. I recently witnessed this in living color.
I was speaking at a conference a few months ago that some of you attended. Our Keynote for the event was a beloved national speaker, bestselling author, and the host of a daily talk show. I have heard and seen this woman speak many times before.
The evening before she was scheduled to speak, this woman of God reached out to her online followers and those close to her for prayer support. She disclosed that never, in all her years of ministry, had she experienced such spiritual warfare.
The next morning, as she slowly walked onto the stage to share the message God had given her, my heart caught in my throat. She was moving forward toward the podium, but she looked war-torn and worn out. I held my breath as I prayed for her.
As she reached center stage, she did something no one expected and something I’ve never seen before.
Picking up the microphone, she said quietly that a storm had hit in the last weeks and that she was upended. She confessed that she felt very vulnerable. She admitted that she needed to strengthen herself in the Lord. Right there, right then.
She said: “The Word is living and active. It’s powerful. It goes into fertile soil and accomplishes what God wants it to accomplish. I hope you don’t mind…I just need to pray some scripture. I pray that it nourishes you as it strengthens me.”
With the lights turned down, she went down on her knees.
And she began.
“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?…
He will hide me in his shelter. From there I will offer shouts of joy and sacrifices of praise.
She who dwells in the shelter of the Most High God will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.”
As she continued to pray the Word of God, her voice took on a bolder tone.
“I will say to the Lord my refuge, my fortress, my God in whom I trust, surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers and under his wings you will find refuge. His faithful promises will be your armor and protection….”
I confess I peeked once or twice. I had to know: was she reading all of this Scripture, or was she pouring it out from memory, deep within her, where she had hidden it? Indeed, the Word of God was pouring out from her.
As she prayed Psalm 23 from memory, I heard her soul being restored.
“He leads me beside still waters, He restores my soul. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow, I will not fear; you are with me.”
As she exhaled the Word of God, I witnessed energy, passion, and godly confidence FILLING my sister saint’s soul. Before me and hundreds of others, the Word of God was reviving her.
She continued with gusto now.
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us drop everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let’s run the race marked out before us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the Father. Let us consider him who endured such scorn from sinful men that we might not grow weary and lose heart.”
Before she stood on strengthened knees, she thanked God for his living, active and powerful Word. Its quickening of our souls, its strengthening of us even now. She acknowledged God as King and Lord; Lord of hearts and lives, King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
That morning, I bore witness and continue to bear witness to this:
When we are weak, He is strong. The Word of God is living, active, and powerful!
Let the Living Water renew and restore you from the inside out. May the Word of God saturate and revive your soul today.
“Lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees.” (Hebrews 12:12-13)