When I run in nice cool weather, I usually don't need water until maybe the fourth or fifth mile. Even then, I am very thirsty but I could keep running for another mile or so.
However, in this heat I need water after about the fist mile. And when I say need, I mean NEED. As in that sip of water is the only thing that is keeping me going and is pushing me onward.
In life, when things are going great we don't think about how much we need God. We can keep going on our own for quite some time without being refreshed in his word. However, when something happens and things get a little rough, we realize how much we need God. We realize that when life begins to beat down on us from all sides that he is the only thing that has really kept us going the entire time.
Even though it's so much harder to run in the heat, that is what we should remember when we're running in cool weather. Just because you don't feel thirsty doesn't mean that you don't need water. Your body can get so easily dehydrated without you even realizing it.
In the same way, we should continue to refresh our minds and spirits with God's word no matter what is going on in our lives. We still need his constant presence in our lives even if we don't crave it. There are times in my life when things are so rough that I know if I don't call out to Jesus I won't make it through the next hour. But then there are times when I forget that He's there and when I forget to call on him. I still need to seek him in those times when I don't feel that I "need" him.
Why? Why should you call on him if you don't feel like it or if you think you can get by without him? Because he is the Creator of the universe and you should desire to find out all you can about the one who loves you more than anything. Because you wouldn't want to be friends with someone who only came to you when they needed something - why would you treat God the same way? We wouldn't have a breath without him giving it to us. He deserves our every praise. Even when you think you are doing it by yourself, you still wouldn't be alive without him. He gives you every moment of your life, why would you not want to give it back to him?
As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. - Psalm 42:1
