Living Water by Steve Aldapa

Image: Giorgio Trovato

My adrenalin was in full swing from that last wave, and I couldn’t wait to catch another. As I made my way back into the lineup, I sat on the outside scanning the horizon, eagerly waiting for the next set to pour through when I took notice of my surroundings; the glassy sea surface, and the warmth of the morning sunshine gracing the coastline. My heart was racing with full excitement when suddenly God’s word came into my mind: “Be still and know that I am the LORD” Psalms 46:10

Although I was stoked about God’s word coming to mind in the water, I suddenly found myself in a transitory moment of self-reflection on how reactionary I've been lately. I've been reacting to life issues the same way as on a late take-off; I drop in and rely on my own skills to hopefully make the drop and not go 'over the falls'. However, as a follower of Jesus Christ, I know that I am to seek His will through prayer and word before anything else. Life happens at such a rapid pace these days that it's no wonder we get encumbered with many ‘to-dos’ and forego quiet time with Jesus. I then realized I was neglecting quiet time with the Lord in prayer, in word, and in meditation upon His word. This is so vital to every Christian in their daily walk. Although this won’t cause all our issues to disappear, we can be sure that we will be filled with His strength, His joy, and His peace to get through whatever issue we are facing based on His eternal promises.

As I continue to mature and grown in my Christian walk, I’m re-discovering the awesome spiritual value by being still before the Lord to give Him my first fruits of everything. As I sat on my board, I felt the warmth of the sun upon my face so I closed my eyes, smiled, and gave Him praise and thanks for this awesome revelation. Just then, I looked up and caught sight of a glassy set looming in quickly so I started to paddle into position ....