what are you building?

Every morning I walk along this Riverwalk. There is a little stream that runs from this spot down a few blocks and then it empties into another pond. 

The whole area was built several years ago. It is certainly beautiful… but it doesn’t flow very well.

This is a sight I’ve seen all summer, up and down the Riverwalk. Workers have been digging through the low level of water to remove mud and sludge by the bucket. And more buckets. Hundreds of buckets. 

Because the water is not flowing properly, all kinds of muck have gathered along the water way. Though a brilliant and creative team of engineers designed it, and a huge crew of people were able to construct this mile long water feature, no one is able to keep it flowing properly.

What a contrast to God and His creation:

By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth. He gathers the waters of the sea into jars; he puts the deep into storehouses. Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the people of the world revere him. For he spoke, and creation came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm. Psalm 33:6-9

The Lord whispered this truth to me as I watched the workers with their buckets:

When I make something, it works. It flows. It inspires. It needs no maintenance. Think of the rivers and waterfalls, the canyons and forests, the lakes and sculpted rocks of the desert. They need no maintenance crew.

When man makes something, he must sustain it. Rarely is he able to do so without great expenditure of money, time, energy, and resources. Many of my children have lost everything trying to sustain the thing they built with their own hands. It often becomes their undoing.

Child, be careful what you are investing in. When I build something, I sustain it. I may call you to participate in it. However, when you build something, you must sustain it on your own.

What are you putting effort into today? Are you resting in Me and enjoying the thing that I am building in your life, or are you desperately strategizing how to sustain and piece together that dream of yours?

Are you striving to heal yourself, better yourself, or fight against the weaknesses that are causing you trouble and pain each day? Are you trying to make your own way because the path is dark and the future seems uncertain?

Let the one who walks in the dark, who has no light, trust in the name of the Lord and rely on his God. But now, all you who light fires and provide yourselves with flaming torches, go, walk in the light of your fires and of the torches you have set ablaze. This is what you shall receive: you will lie down in torment. Isaiah 50:10-11

The torment is not a punishment. It is the result of living far from Me, from relying on yourself rather than letting me save you.

I am the Healer. I am the Transformer. I can change you. I can transform your circumstances. I am the One who makes all things new, all things beautiful, and in ALL things I can bring good: peace, comfort, joy, truth, victory, and more.
My touch heals. My peace comforts. My spoken word brings life. I build, I sustain, I hold you and your life in My hands.

I am all that you need. Call to Me; I am already near.