Evil doesn’t have the upper hand. We do. Love does.

My heart is learning to sing a new song this week. It is ”Lean Back” by Capital City Music. It is so good. The spontaneous worship in between was powerful in the 7.49 min mark.

”I can finally breathe because I can see You are not disappointed in me.”

Now I can see. You’ve brought me here to rest and have given me space to breathe.

I know in my own life when I come to Jesus, I usually have a lot of my own expectations. But He has His own plan and it’s often different from mine and always better. I might expect Him to give me answers on a question I have, and instead He just gives me more of Himself. I might expect Him to guide me to a specific route He wants me to take in my life, but instead He reminds me to just seek Him first and everything else will follow. I might expect Him to take certain sorrows or troubles out of my life, but He instead just tells me to trust Him and wait patiently. I might expect Him to teach me one thing, but He teaches me another instead. Whatever it is, Jesus likes to surprise us and remind us that He’s got it under control. Dark places and the unknown expose our weaknesses. It always does; that’s the nature of every experience.

As followers of Christ, we will one day enter a season of helplessness where we no longer call the shots and know what to do. And it will seem as if we don’t have what it takes to survive—finding ourselves in a place and a season where only Christ will be your strength. That’s where hope is born because our hope is in Christ.

I want to encourage you and remind you that The One whose name is Living Water is within you. This wonderful Jesus brings you a life-giving stream, fulfilling every need no matter how difficult the many surprises of life can be. He is within you as a well of water “springing up into everlasting life!” (John 4: 14). This “springing well” begins to flow inside until praise rises up out of you again. Before you know it, the springs are watering everything around you—and every dry place within you. You will see things differently, you will feel differently about the people around you, and you will see things you didn’t even notice before.

The Lord will always show you where to go and what to do, filling you with refreshment when you are dry and in a difficult place. He will continually restore strength to you. You will flourish like a well-watered garden, and be like an ever-flowing, trustworthy spring of blessing. (Isaiah 58: 11)

We learn in our difficult season that even though we may be in a wilderness, our hearts don’t have to be a barren wasteland. Our wilderness starts growing flowers when Jesus flows from within us. His presence satisfies the deep thirst that dries up the soul and places us in a weary land or a weary season.

Read Psalm 125.