Dehydrated

August 8, 2022 — Craig T. Owens

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. 

I just came back from California where drought-like conditions cause residents a lot of concern—wildfires, crop failure, what happens if too much rain falls too quickly? Being dry causes people a lot of stress. 

Most people live under-hydrated, if not dehydrated. Depending upon the size of the person, the amount of water in the human body makes up 55-75%. That means that when we don’t get enough water, many complications can arise. So if you struggle with…

  • …headaches, don’t take a Tylenol, but trying drinking more water 
  • …bad breath, don’t swish mouthwash, but trying drinking more water 
  • …being tired, don’t guzzle caffeine, but trying drinking more water 
  • …gut problems, don’t pop an Alka-Seltzer or milk of magnesia, but trying drinking more water 
  • …bags under your eyes, don’t get botox, but trying drinking more water 

The introduction to Psalm 143 only says, “A psalm of David,” but nothing about his actual predicament. But we can see the things that were weighing heavy on David: 

  • he pleaded for mercy, which means not getting the punishment he deserved (vv. 1-2) 
  • enemies were pursuing him (v. 3) 
  • he felt faint in spirit and dismayed in heart (v. 4) 
  • he had a failing spirit (v. 7) 
  • he was lost, asking God to “show me the way” (v. 8) 
  • he prayed for God to “preserve my life…bring me out of trouble” (v. 11) 
  • he felt the slander of his enemies (v. 12) 

All of this must have led to David feeling emotionally and spiritually—if not even physically—dehydrated. 

We have said there are three definitions for Selah, but I think the context of this chapter clearly limits it to just one definition: a pause to reflect. David’s Selah in this psalm is actually a quadruple Selah! A dehydrated David reminds himself and us to…

  • remember or recall to mind 
  • meditate or speak to yourself (also see Psalm 42:5-6) 
  • consider—some translations use the word “muse,” a word meaning an inner conversation, including airing our complaints 
  • Selah—the call to “pause and calmly think of that,” as the Amplified Bible defines that word  

All of these things pressing in on David were getting his full attention, so he forgot to drink deeply of the Living Water of God. As a result, David was dehydrated. This is why he calls for that quadruple Selah to be refreshed. 

But what if there are so many problems around us that we cannot even think of anything that we can “drink” from God? What if there are so many troubles that we don’t know what to thank Him for? 

Let me point you to a tiny preposition: IN in vv. 8, 9 (and also in Psalm 42:5-6). David is not saying he has to get a drink, but that he has to go IN to the Source of Living Water. 

Rejoice IN the Lord (Philippians 4:4) and Trust IN the Lord (Isaiah 26:4). As a result, God will then keep us IN His peace (Isaiah 26:3; Philippians 4:7). [Check out all of these verses by clicking here.]

This is what I think David spoke to himself in his remembering, meditating, and considering—in his inner conversations. Let the morning bring me word of Your unfailing love, for I have put my trust IN You. Show me the way I should go, for to You I entrust my life (Psalm 143:8). 

When you’re dehydrated, it’s hard to think of things to be thankful for, but we can look to the unchangeable attributes of God. David did this and it helped him with his actions and attitude: 

God’s love is unfailing so we can rely on Him (v. 8a)
God’s omniscience is infinite so we can trust His leading (v. 8b)
God’s omnipotence is unmatched so we can be secure in Him (v. 9)
God’s sovereign wisdom is unrivaled so we can confidently obey and follow Him (v. 10)
God’s eternal glory is unending so we can have eternal hope (v. 11)
Again David notes that God’s love is unfailing so we can continue to fearlessly serve Him (v. 12), which takes us right back to the opening two verses of this psalm


The Selah time allowed David to make these connections, or rather, it allowed him the quiet time to drink in the Holy Spirit’s reminders of these attributes of God. David always knew who God was, but in his time of dehydration his Selah re-reminded Him of who God was to him. 


When we are feeling dehydrated, we must Selah to drink deeply of the Living Water. This Selah pause plunges us INTO God’s presence and allows us to make His attributes personal.  


If you’ve missed any of the messages in our Selah series, you can find the complete list of them by clicking here. 


►► Would you please prayerfully consider supporting this ministry? My Patreon supporters get behind-the-scenes access to exclusive materials. ◀︎◀︎








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Overwhelmed?

March 28, 2022 — Craig T. Owens 




Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. 



Have you noticed some people just say, “Morning,” but not “Good morning”? Almost as if they are waiting to see if it’s actually going to be good. I think many people wake up overwhelmed before their feet hit the floor. If the cliche says, “When it rains it pours,” to them it seems like it’s always pouring! 


In our series, we’ve been asking if certain statements are in the Bible. Statement #7 is God won’t give you more than you can handle. Is that in the Bible? Well, kinda. 


Many people would say, “Yes, it’s in the Bible” based on 1 Corinthians 10:13 which says, “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” 


Remember that context is king, so we need to look at the whole setting. For this verse, I would suggest going back to the beginning of the chapter (1 Corinthians 10:1-14). Paul is telling us that Israel’s bad examples are a warning for us. What’s the warning? It boils down to not becoming overconfident in our own abilities—“So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!” (v. 12). 


Overconfidence exposes us to temptation. James does a really good job of defining temptation as our own evil desires that have met an opportunity to give in (James 1:13-14). When the pressure is on, perhaps I’m tempted to…


    

  • …cut corners 
    • 

  • …water down the truth 
    • 

  • …tell a little white lie 
    • 

  • …justify helping myself to something that isn’t mine 
    • 

  • …excuse my unforgiveness
    • 



I like some of the insights we get from the Amplified Bible on 1 Corinthians 10:13. 


One phrase reminds us that “no temptation or trial has come to you that is beyond human resistance and that is not adjusted and adapted” to us. God is helping us grow through those tempting times. 


Another phrase from this verse says that God “can be trusted not to let you be tempted and tried and assayed beyond your ability and strength of resistance and power to endure.” God knows the perfect time and temperature of our trials to remove the impurities from our lives. 


Paul’s conclusion—his “therefore”—is found in the next verse: “Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry” (1 Corinthians 10:14). “Flee” means we are to take hold of ourselves to stay away from dangerous places, and “idols” are anything we put in place of God. 


Notice the verse says, “God…will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.” Sometimes I set myself up to stumble when I’m…


    

  • …physically tired 
    • 

  • …hangry 
    • 

  • …spiritually drained 
    • 

  • …emotionally frazzled 
    • 



Even in these things God will give us wisdom if we ask Him (James 1:5), but we must apply the wisdom He gives us. 


So God tests me to purify and strengthen me. God will never overwhelm me or set me up for failure, but I may overwhelm myself and set myself up for failure if I’m not being careful about the idols I set up in my life. 


So If you are feeling overwhelmed, if you are feeling like there’s too much, if you feel like you’re giving in to temptations, ask yourself: 


    

  • Am I getting enough sleep? 
    • 

  • How’s my diet? 
    • 

  • Have I made Bible reading and prayer a priority this week? 
    • 

  • Are there any relationships that are draining me? 
    • 

  • Have I confessed my shortcomings? 
    • 

  • Have I asked God for wisdom? 
    • 

  • Have I obeyed what God has already shown me? 
    • 



God will never give me more than I can handle in His tests, but sometimes I give myself more than I can handle. It’s time to remove those idols and stumbling blocks from my life.  


If you’ve missed any of the messages in our series Is That In The Bible?, I’ve shared links to all of the messages here. 


►► Would you please prayerfully consider supporting this ministry? My Patreon supporters get behind-the-scenes access to exclusive materials. ◀︎◀︎








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Poetry Saturday—Rest

November 26, 2016 — Craig T. Owens 








clouds-and-water“I’m too tired to trust and too tired to pray, 


Said one, as the over-taxed strength gave way. 


The one conscious thought by my mind possessed, 


Is, oh, could I just drop it all and rest.


 


“Will God forgive me, do you suppose, 


If I go right to sleep as a baby goes, 


Without an asking if I may, 


Without ever trying to trust and pray?


 


“Will God forgive you? why think, dear heart, 


When language to you was an unknown art, 


Did a mother deny you needed rest, 


Or refuse to pillow your head on her breast?


 


“Did she let you want when you could not ask? 


Did she set her child an unequal task? 


Or did she cradle you in her arms, 


And then guard your slumber against alarms?


 


“Ah, how quick was her mother love to see, 


The unconscious yearnings of infancy. 


When you’ve grown too tired to trust and pray, 


When over-wrought nature has quite given way:


 


“Then just drop it all, and give up to rest, 


As you used to do on a mother’s breast, 


He knows all about it—the dear Lord knows, 


So just go to sleep as a baby goes;


 


“Without even asking if you may, 


God knows when His child is too tired to pray. 


He judges not solely by uttered prayer, 


He knows when the yearnings of love are there.


 


“He knows you do pray, He knows you do trust, 


And He knows, too, the limits’ of poor weak dust. 


Oh, the wonderful sympathy of Christ, 


For His chosen ones in that midnight tryst,


 


“When He bade them sleep and take their rest, 


While on Him the guilt of the whole world pressed—


You’ve given your life up to Him to keep, 


Then don’t be afraid to go right to sleep.” —Ella Conrad Cowherd












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Links & Quotes

December 2, 2014 — Craig T. Owens 




link quote


Some good reading & watching from today…


“The thing is, everything worth doing is done to excess, poorly, immorally, inefficiently, by someone. But that doesn’t change the fact that the very same thing done right is worth doing.” Read more from Seth Godin’s post Babies And Bathwater.


“The sign of faint-heartedness in individuals is in the language talk of ‘someone else’ when there is anything to be done. … Spiritual fatigue comes from the unconscious frittering away of God’s time. When you feel weary or are exhausted…get back to God.” —Oswald Chambers


Tim Elmore shares 7 Ways Great Leaders Climb “Out Of The Box”


John Maxwell talks about the importance of a leader caring for others…







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Mouth-To-Mouth

July 22, 2013 — Craig T. Owens 




Mouth to mouthI’ve notice that when someone feels physically tired, mentally unengaged, spiritually embattled, emotionally dry, or just plain worn out, they have an audible physical sign that is almost universal.


Those people sigh.


A sigh is an involuntary response that signifies frustration and a call for help. It should also be a reminder of the best place to find that help.


In Psalm 119, the chapter is organized in 8-verse segments. I like to look at the “bookend” verses of each section, as it usually gives a good idea of what that section is focusing on. The section called kaph has this bookended statement—


My soul faints with longing for Your salvation … Preserve my life according to Your love, and I will obey the statues of Your mouth (Psalm 119:81, 88).


Follow this progression:


    

  • When God created man, He breathed a soul into him. So we are created by His breath.
    • 

  • Jesus said that man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. God’s Word is inspired, which means it is literally God-breathed. So our soul is sustained by the breath of God.
    • 



The psalmist says his soul is sighing and wasting away, but he recognizes that his God-breathed soul can be restored through the God-breathed word. So in verse 88 he is asking God to give him mouth-to-mouth (or perhaps mouth-to-soul) resuscitation! 


The psalmist talks about clinging tenaciously to God’s Word as if it were his only lifeline … because it is! So whenever you find yourself sighing, let that be a reminder that you can get your spiritual resuscitation from the breath of God: His Word. Hold on to it as if your very life depended on it … because it does!


If you have missed any of the messages in our P119 series, you can access them all by clicking here.






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Thursdays With Oswald—Exhausted For God

February 16, 2012 — Craig T. Owens 




This is a weekly series with things I’m reading and pondering from Oswald Chambers. You can read the original seed thought here, or type “Thursdays With Oswald” in the search box to read more entries.


Exhausted For God


     Jesus said to Peter, ‘Feed My sheep,’ but He gave him nothing to feed them with. The process of being made broken bread and poured out wine means that you have to be the nourishment for other souls until they learn to feed on God. They must drain you to the dregs. Be careful that you get your supply, or before long you will be utterly exhausted. Before other souls learn to draw on the life of the Lord Jesus direct, they have to draw on it through you; you have to be literally ‘sucked,’ until they learn to take their nourishment from God. We owe it to God to be our best for His lambs and His sheep as well as for Himself.


     Has the way in which you have been serving God betrayed you into exhaustion? If so, then rally your affections. Where did you start the service from? From your own sympathy or from the basis of the Redemption of Jesus Christ? Continually go back to the foundation of your affections and recollect where the source of power is. You have no right to say, ‘O Lord, I am so exhausted.’ He saved and sanctified you in order to exhaust you. Be exhausted for God, but remember that your supply comes from Him. ‘All my fresh springs shall be in Thee.’


From My Utmost For His Highest


He saved and sanctified you in order to exhaust you. I want to be continually filled up and poured out for God. But in order to be of any good to others, I have to keep going back to the Source of life. If I’m not filled up with God’s presence, I will be exhausted, but not in the right way.


I have shared quite a bit about the correct way for godly leaders to be replenished through self-care. Check out these posts.










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How Are You Running?

October 11, 2010 — Craig T. Owens 




Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple or Spotify.



Ever noticed how often we use the word run in our everyday clichés?


    

  • I gotta run a few errands
    • 

  • I’m running the kids to soccer practice
    • 

  • Our funds are running a little low
    • 

  • We’re running a bit late
    • 

  • I’m running out of energy
    • 

  • My patience is running thin
    • 

  • Can’t talk now, I have to run
    • 



My question is: how are you running?


Elijah ran twice. Once in the power of God, and once in fear.


When he ran in fear, he became completely exhausted to the point where he became depressed and suicidal. When he ran in God’s power, there was no tiredness.


When he ran in fear, he forgot God and focused totally on his own needs. When he ran in God’s power, only God was exalted.


So how are you running today? Are you running in fear of disappointing someone … dropping the ball … losing the job … falling short … losing face?


Or are you running in God’s power … doing the things that draw you closer to Him … running to bring others to Christ … exalting God?


You will be running this week. The bigger question is how are you doing it?






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