Here in California we are coming off of four years of severe drought. This year, however, we have had incredible rainfall. All locations, except for a few desert areas, are already more than 100% of their annual averages. Most are 150% or better, and there are some that are over 200% and even 300%. To the layman or the uninformed, it would appear that the drought was over. How can we still be suffering from a drought when we are under water–- literally?
However, as every Californian knows, drought conditions have very little to do with rainfall totals and everything to do with the snowpack, for even though the rain provides immediate relief and some of that water can be stored for future use, for the long haul the state needs plenty of snow in the mountains to see it through the year.
But a snowpack is not just snow; it is accumulated and compacted snow at high altitudes and is accompanied by cold weather so that it melts slowly, thereby providing water over the course of the year.
God wants his followers to have a snowpack as well. Yes, it is very good that we attend church and listen to speakers and read books and articles and let those words wash over us and encourage, comfort, and inspire us. But those instances are temporal. Lasting value comes from personally knowing God’s Word so that during life’s deserts and dry spells, His words can refresh and restore us.
There are many, many verses in the Bible that speak to the value of knowing God’s Word. Below are just a few.
Colossians 3:16: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”
Deuteronomy 11:18: “You shall therefore lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.”
King David said in Psalm 119:105: “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”
And then again in Psalm 119:11: “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.”
I hope we in America will never have to live without our Bibles, but just having a Bible isn’t the same as knowing what’s in it. In order for the Holy Spirit to minister to us or encourage us by reminding us of God’s promises during times of decision or difficulty, we must have something within us for the Spirit to work with. Water cannot be drawn from an empty stream, and a stream can only be filled by melting snow.
So just as a healthy mountain snowpack takes an entire winter to create, so does a healthy spiritual one. We should read the Bible often. Just repetition will bring verses to mind, but we should also work to memorize scripture as often as we can. For God promises in Isaiah: 55:11: that His Word “will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”
However, as every Californian knows, drought conditions have very little to do with rainfall totals and everything to do with the snowpack, for even though the rain provides immediate relief and some of that water can be stored for future use, for the long haul the state needs plenty of snow in the mountains to see it through the year.
But a snowpack is not just snow; it is accumulated and compacted snow at high altitudes and is accompanied by cold weather so that it melts slowly, thereby providing water over the course of the year.
God wants his followers to have a snowpack as well. Yes, it is very good that we attend church and listen to speakers and read books and articles and let those words wash over us and encourage, comfort, and inspire us. But those instances are temporal. Lasting value comes from personally knowing God’s Word so that during life’s deserts and dry spells, His words can refresh and restore us.
There are many, many verses in the Bible that speak to the value of knowing God’s Word. Below are just a few.
Colossians 3:16: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”
Deuteronomy 11:18: “You shall therefore lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.”
King David said in Psalm 119:105: “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”
And then again in Psalm 119:11: “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.”
I hope we in America will never have to live without our Bibles, but just having a Bible isn’t the same as knowing what’s in it. In order for the Holy Spirit to minister to us or encourage us by reminding us of God’s promises during times of decision or difficulty, we must have something within us for the Spirit to work with. Water cannot be drawn from an empty stream, and a stream can only be filled by melting snow.
So just as a healthy mountain snowpack takes an entire winter to create, so does a healthy spiritual one. We should read the Bible often. Just repetition will bring verses to mind, but we should also work to memorize scripture as often as we can. For God promises in Isaiah: 55:11: that His Word “will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”
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