Inner Refreshment

     We toured Megiddo while on our trip to the Holy Land. Twenty separate civilizations have existed on the high, huge mound of earth. I could see why it had been a key defensive location for civilizations for thousands of years. From its top you could effectively use any of your weapons to fight an enemy from below.
     There was one major problem with Megiddo, however. Its water source, a spring, was outside the fortification. Enemies could easily capture the spring and cut off the water supply. Without water, Megiddo couldn’t last long.
     King Ahab changed all that sometime in the 9th century B.C. He had his workers dig a water tunnel from the spring through the solid rock base for a distance of 215 feet. Then he covered up the spring so no enemy could get to their water source. In essence, King Ahab brought the water source within the city, and that’s what gave the fortification new strength.
     An inner source of refreshment: that’s what we need. The truth is that we can’t always count on people or circumstances to encourage or energize us. External assaults demand an inner strength.
     What do we do when we feel our inner resources are depleted? We can open an inner channel to God. God doesn’t have to remain “out there” somewhere. Though He respects our privacy and individuality, He is anxious to respond to an invitation to dwell within us. When we really believe He’s dwelling within, we have His inner strength to face any outward challenge.
     “Our sufficiency is from God.” 2 Corinthians 3:5