How do we give Jesus a drinK? Where is the place He desires to rest? How do we shelter Jesus?
Dear sister Amy,
These are really excellent questions! I certainly do not have any definitive answers, but I do have some impressions from the Lord to share. I hope some others will share as well, as I am definitely a learner in these matters!
How do we give Jesus a drink? I can not help but think of the sweet and touching story of Jesus talking to the Samaritan woman at the well in John chapter 4. Jesus was weary from His journey and must have been thristy, since he asked the woman to give Him a drink. It appears that she never gave Him a physical drink, but surely her lingering with Him and listening to His words were a real drink, a real inner refreshment, to Him! She even left behind her waterpot and went into the city to tell everyone about Him! Surely when we leave behind the things that have preoccupied and distracted us and focus on Him and His work, this gives Him another big drink!
Where is the place that He desires to rest? It must be in the hearts of those who continually turn to Him in faith, those who allow Him to be everything to them because of their love for Him. May He be the faith and love in us so that our hearts can become more and more His resting place, His home. How He longs to make His home in our hearts
through faith when we are rooted and grounded
in love! (Ephesians 3:17)
How do we shelter Jesus? I really need some help on this one! My only thought here is that we shelter Him when we continue to love Him in the midst of trials and tribulations, especially when go throught the trial of suffering ridicule and persecution for His sake. When we are bearing shame for His precious, lovely, Name, and we remain close and intimate with Him and do not forsake Him, we become a target for His enemies; and, in a sense, we suffer the reproach from His enemies that would normally fall directly upon Him. Joyfully, we willingly bear reproach for Him so that it will not fall directly upon Him. Surely our sheltering Him in this way is so precious to Him, as He indicated over and over that there is a very rich reward laid up in Heaven for all those who live in such a way! (Mattthew 5:11-12, etc.)