Scripture:

Job 8:11-13

11 "Can papyrus grow tall where there is no marsh? Can reeds thrive without water?
12 While still growing and uncut, they wither more quickly than grass.
13 Such is the destiny of all who forget God; so perishes the hope of the godless."

Bildad the Shuhite tells Job and reminds us that life without God is not "LIFE."   That is, if we cut ourselves off from the "SOURCE," then it quickly becomes evident. I love that he gives the example of reeds, which, although they seem to be growing on the outside, wither and die quickly once they have been removed from the source.  This metaphor is to remind you and I how much we need the Lord in our lives, that our lives to begin to suffer, we open ourselves to the enemy who only seeks to kill, steal, and destroy, which means the good in our lives quickly is removed. Things begin to die, our hope, our peace, our sense of direction.  Isaiah said it in Isaiah 40:31 "But those who trust in the LORD will find new strength."   David said in Psalm 23:1 "The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing." 

When God is my Source:

• I Find New Strength
• I Won't Get Weary
• I Won't Become Faint
• I Will Lack Nothing 

The application is simple here; don't lose your connection to the source of everything that is life.  We need the Lord; we need to seek Him while He may be found, as the word tells us.  We need to trust and put our trust in Him because He will never disappoint.  This is just as true in both good times and bad.

Lord, help us to not lose sight of our great need for you, let our hearts be near you and our eyes seek you, may our desire to be in your presence, to seek your face, to worship you with all that we have, to trust you with abandon, to lean on your understanding, to be connected to the source of our life, in Jesus' name, Amen!