O God, you are my God; I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. (Psalm 63:1)

              As I heard the rain falling outside the window this morning, the meteorologist on the morning news was showing a map of the rainfall deficit we have had over the past 30 days. In our area, we were down over two inches, which is not hard to see as you watch the dust rise behind combines and lawn mowers.

              As he wrapped up the weather report, though, he cautioned that flooding is possible due to the heavier rain expected later today. Just before they cut to the next story, he said, “We need the rain. Just not all at once.”

              When heavy rains fall in dry, arid deserts, the ground cannot soak up the water fast enough and it begins to run in torrents that wipe out everything in its path. Better to have a slow, gentle rainfall that the ground can drink up in small sips.

              Is the same true for our thirst for God? Can we have too much, all at once? Will it just run off without ever sinking in to do its nourishing work? Is it better to soak up God’s presence slowly, over a lifetime even, so that God’s Spirit seeps down deep within us creating reservoirs we can tap into during life’s drier times? Perhaps that is why the Psalmist goes on to say, “So I will bless you as long as I live.”

              Let us drink in God’s presence a little every day.