A blocked hose

I was watering the garden this morning, as I do every morning, and suddenly no water was coming through the hose. Hmm. I gave the hose a shake, because sometimes that helps, but this time it didn’t. I set the spray nozzle down and went looking for what was blocking the flow of water. There was no reason to continue to hold the spray nozzle if no water was coming through.

Sure enough, the hose was kinked, twisted, blocking the flow of water. I untangled the hose, opened the flow, and resumed my watering.

Do you ever feel your prayer life is, well, blocked? I do. It’s like there’s just no juice, no flow. Maybe God is busy with other things. But maybe the problem isn’t God, but me. Maybe I have become kinked, twisted, and am blocking the flow. Odd that I would just go on praying; I would never continue to stand there with the hose.

You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, in order to spend what you get on your pleasures. James 4:3

Perhaps, when my prayer life seems to run dry, I need to give the hose a shake. I may even need to investigate what may block the flow. If I am asking for God’s guidance, am I really prepared to follow His lead? Or am I simply asking Him to approve the decision I have already made? Has He asked me to do something that I have still left undone? Am I still defending my ungodly thoughts, justifying unkind actions?

So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, then come and offer your gift. Matthew 5:23-24

In order for the plants to survive and produce fruit, the water needs to flow through the hose. In order for me to produce the Spirit’s fruit, in order for God’s love to flow through me to other people, the hose needs to be free from blockage. My ego, my will, my personal agenda all block my prayer life and my growth as a Christian. They block my ability to love God and to love others.

Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interest of others. Philippians 2:3-4

It is a constant battle to not judge everything by how it affects me personally. Am I really prepared to subjugate my desires to those of another? I am sure I have done that for Nick and my children, at least occasionally. But as a general rule, that’s a tough one. But to love, truly love from a pure heart, unmarred by selfish desires, that is what God calls us to do.

Now that you have purified your souls by your obedience to the truth so that you can have genuine mutual love, love one another deeply from the heart. I Peter 1:22

It is only when I am purified of pride, or greed, or anger, or a personal agenda that I can show genuine, God-given love to another. Then the communication between God and me seems to flow. Then my garden can flourish.

So next time my prayer life seems to become stale and dry, I will learn from the garden and check for blockages in the hose.

And remember, you need to water that garden every day. Even when you are sick or on vacation or seemingly too busy. Every day.

Betsy

Thank you for joining me on this journey! I appreciate the gift of your time and your thoughts.

By this they will know that you are mine, that you love one another as I loved you. John 13:35