Heart hydration is the daily drinking in of his presence, his peace, his love… whatever we need to receive from him in our busy lives. It can be done by simple means in brief snatches of time. Developing these as habits can keep our hearts open in busy seasons. The state of our heart and it’s journey to daily rest and peace is of great interest to the Lord.
1. Use your doorways. We all have things that can almost instantly refresh or inspire us. It may be certain kinds of music, a place we go to, a statement we make, something we read, even a person to have a coffee with. Find what works for you and chose it often. One for me is water - especially the sea.
2. Take the Word into your day. Scripture is a ‘living word’ so chewing on it can release life to our hearts and often insight into our minds as well. Find a short phrase that is current for you, and ‘breathe’ it in and out a number of times to let it settle into you. Expect the Spirit to keep bringing it to mind in those short spaces in your day. Sinking into these moments of breathed prayer are especially calming and restore balance and energy. I am using "Lord Jesus, have mercy..." for many situations.
3. See yourself as ‘beloved’. At our conversion the Spirit immersed us ‘in Christ’ not just to make us ‘one body’ with each other, (1 Cor.12:13) but to make us one with him. So we are ‘in the beloved’- therefore the deep love of the Father for Jesus also envelopes us. (Ephes.1:3-6) We can say at any time of the day or night ‘The Father is loving me now.’ ‘The Father of compassion, the God of all comfort (2 Cor.1:3) is loving me now.’
This is a ‘theological discipline’ – a choice to believe a truth that sets us free from being absorbed by our feelings of failure, lack, sinfulness, weakness… The effect of declaring this reality to our hearts opens a door to that love being tangibly experienced as peace, or joy, or tenderness… He IS loving us now.
For more understanding about the love of the Father that envelopes us – see www.fatherheart.net and the teaching by James Jordan on CD ‘The Centrality of the Heart’ and others. Also www.fatherlovesyou.com and the books, DVDs and CDs of Ed Piorek. I can send you a list of mp3s to access for free also – contact me at wellsprings@xtra.co.nz
4. Never hesitate to ask someone else to pray with you. We have an incredible ability to speak life and blessing on each other. When you have had a conversation with someone say to them – “Would you pray a blessing on me now?” It can be simply 3 or 4 sentences… and it will do them a power of good to speak into your heart this way. Stand with them, and ask them to hold your hand or put a hand on your shoulder as they do. You may well receive a special ‘word from the Lord’. (A thought for those who are often with needy or unsaved people – have in your pocket a little card with a scripture and prayer on it. Just a few lines. Then you can ask them if they will read it as a ‘blessing’ to you. This could be transformational for them and will probably make you cry! You could let them take it away to pray over their friends and family.)
5. Don’t hesitate to offer a brief prayer of blessing to another wherever or whatever you are doing. This draws on the ‘well of living water’ in you – and you will be refreshed as you do so. Pause and think of the Father loving and blessing this person now, and of the mercy and tenderness of Jesus for them before you formulate your prayer. Again – touch them with your hand if you can. This is another ‘theological discipline’ of acting out of the realities that perhaps we don’t feel at that time. The Spirit will honour our faith.
6. Stop and smell the roses… When going from a) to b) – schedule in a spare 10 minutes or more to stop somewhere that blesses you and drink in the wonder of creation – or take a few moments to walk and breathe your scripture – or have a quiet coffee and let your mind and heart and body come into agreement of his presence and his peace before your next appointment.
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