Reflections on Living Water

By Jerry Elmer

Do the cares of the world stifle your creative thought? Would you like to set your feet on higher ground? A collection of short meditations, Reflections on Living Water will give you something positive and uplifting to contemplate. Each meditation takes a general theme, such as FAITH, BLESSINGS, SPIRITUAL GROWTH or GRACE, among others, and expands it into a practical, positive concept that can be applied to everyday life, while illustrating that God is here, now, working to give you the kingdom, as promised through His son Jesus Christ. Find your quiet place, and ask God to show you what He has herein for you. I pray that you will find it, and that your Reflection will, indeed, turn into that Living Water Christ promised to give you (John 7:37-38). Blessings and peace. Jerry Elmer

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jerry Elmer
• Release date: Nov 30, 2013
• ISBN: 9780991074013

Jerry Elmer

Jerry Elmer is a Christian layman who worked for nearly four decades in electronics engineering, mostly in California’s Silicon Valley. He accepted the Lord Jesus Christ into his life over 40 years ago, and thereafter, daily, has practiced the art of prayer, for himself and others.

Book preview

REFLECTIONS ON

LIVING WATER

MODERN-DAY PSALMS

FOR QUIET MEDITATION

JERRY ELMER

REFLECTIONS ON LIVING WATER

Modern-day Psalms for Quiet Meditation

Copyright © 2013 by Jerry Elmer

Smashwords Edition

All rights reserved. This book is licensed for your personal use only, and may not be resold or given away. If you would like to share this book with others, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, please respect the hard work of the author and return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy.

The Revised Standard Version of the Holy Bible was used for scripture references.

Cover: Photo by Paul Edwards; layout by Janice Phelps

International Standard Book Number

EPub E-book 978-0-9910740-1-3

About the Author:

Jerry Elmer is a Christian layman who worked for nearly four decades in electronics engineering, mostly in California’s Silicon Valley. He accepted the Lord Jesus Christ into his life over 40 years ago, and thereafter, daily, has practiced the art of prayer, for himself and others. He believes that each of us, through living the Christ-life, can become His Reflection on Living Water.

For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.

Revelation 7:17

If any one thirst, let him come to me and drink. He who believes in me, as the scripture has said, 'Out of his heart shall flow rivers of living water.

John 7:37-38

Something good is going to happen to you!

Expect a miracle!

Oral Roberts

FOREWORD

The selections in this book were originally intended to be one-half-hour meditations, with one stanza read at the beginning of the meditation time, then one every five minutes, with the last one ending the session, hence, the seven stanzas. It was intended that the time between readings be either silent or, preferably, accompanied by music. Since the purpose of the meditations is to invoke personal reflection on the readings, music should be quiet, soothing in nature and instrumental, so it will enhance the meditation rather than detract from it. Music which has words either sung with it or commonly known but not accompanying it, such as well-known hymns or Christmas carols, are not recommended, as people tend to concentrate on the words that go with the music rather than the text of the meditation.

That having been said, guidance by the Holy Spirit is more important than rote; please do whatever you deem appropriate and read them any way you like.

Meditations have been numbered for easy reference. Each individual meditation is headed by a title descriptive of the content. Further, they have been grouped into six general categories, each of which unifies the subjects contained therein by relating them to some aspect of our daily relationship with God:

BLESSINGS are the gifts that God affords to us, in the form of general BLESSING, ABUNDANCE, CREATIVITY, HEALING, PEACE and GRACE.

GROWING consists of those things that help us attain higher ground: FORGIVENESS, THANKSGIVING, SPIRITUAL GROWTH and STEWARDSHIP.

GIVING includes SHARING of ourselves with others and the PRAISE we give to God.

TOUCHING describes the ways we commune, through FAITH in God and CONNECTION to God and other people.

WALKING describes the ways we see God in our daily lives, as He affords us GUIDANCE, PROTECTION and WISDOM.

HOLIDAYS are CHRISTMAS, EASTER and THANKSGIVING.

Throughout this work I have referred to God using masculine pronouns. I do not believe God is a man. Or a woman. I have used masculine pronouns strictly for convenience, as he is faster to type than she. Whereas we were made in God's image, that doesn't mean we are exact replicas. George Washington's image appears on a US $1 bill, but that doesn't mean he had a flat head made of green bumps.

1-42

BLESSING

1 GRACE

I've seen

Such wonders flow

Since I have known the Lord;

He heals the sick and fills their souls

With light.

He takes

Away our fears,

Replacing them with peace,

And brings great hope when others think

All lost.

He heals

Our illness so

It's like it never was,

And does the same with sins when we

Confess.

He brings

Us peace of mind

By cleansing us of guilt

For things we did, or haven't done,

But should.

Our thirst

For things in life

He quenches from a well

He made of living water just

For us.

Oh, how

Can all this be,

That we should be so blest

That all our needs provide with just

A prayer?

It's just

As Jesus said,

That God, who loves us so,

The kingdom, His great pleasure thus

To give.

2 GRACE

When Christ

Came to this world,

He brought with Him a word –

A promise of inheritance

To come.

It is

The Comforter,

The Holy Spirit true,

Who teaches us all things about

The Lord.

And as

An heir with Christ,

A gift from God is ours:

Forgiveness and redemption from

Our sins,

That we

Might live in peace,

From condemnation, free,

So we can praise the Lord with heart

And soul.

But it

Is more than that,

Because true inner peace

Can never come through anger, hate

Or fear.

So our

Inheritance,

The Spirit, brings us Love,

Which casts out everything that's not

Of Him.

So I

Will praise the Lord

And thank Him for this gift,

The Spirit, whose indwelling brings

Me peace.

3 HEALING

The Lord's

Own healing light

Can touch the darkest soul

With only but a mustard seed

Of faith.

His touch

Can lift the weight

Of guilt from things I've done,

Or things I should have done but

Never did.

He heals

The memories

Of horrid things I've seen

Borne out of war, from hatred, fear

Or greed.

God heals

The broken heart

When loved ones here depart

From accident, from illness or

Old age.

God heals

My illness, too,

As Jesus did so well,

Without a care what others have

To say.

He heals

My fear of life:

The things that might occur

Which make me hesitate or rob

My sleep.

And when

The healing's done,

God's peace will fill the void;

It passes understanding – this

I know.

4 HEALING

At times

I feel I've died;

There's no more life in me.

I can't another day sustain

This life.

It is

The things of earth

That drag me toward the end

And make me feel there is no use

To live.

Great things

That overwhelm

And seem to loom so large

Confound me with complexity

Of form.

For things

I can't control

Seem most to rule the world,

Preventing me from living as

I'd like.

But then

I pray to God,

And His true light shines forth

Reminding me just who I am

In Christ.

And just

As Jesus did

When raising Lazarus,

He brings me forth from doldrums of

Despair.

So now

I know for sure

God's really in control;

I'm born again and life springs forth

Anew.

5 GRACE

Who is

Like you, O Lord,

Who gives to me such love,

Unbounded and of limitless

Supply;

And, too,

Provides my needs

Sustaining me each day

With great abundance, more than I

Can hold?

You care

Not who I am,

In station, wealth or fame,

But love me just because I am

Your child.

You have

Put here for me

A garden filled with joy,

With birds and flowers, colorful

And bright.

And if

I look in truth,

I see you everywhere;

Your wonder fills each particle

I see.

Though all

Of this is there,

And much more goodness, too,

I'll only find it if I live

In you.

So help

Me, Lord, today,

To live a life of peace

And share with others all there is

Of me.

6 GRACE

It is

A blessing, Lord,

To walk within your Light

And know I am protected by

Your wings.

Before

I found your love,

Great burdens dragged me down,

Of worry, apprehension, guilt

And fear.

I lived

A halting life

With interrupted steps,

Because I let my fears take charge

Of me.

They told

Me where to walk

And how to hold my head;

My fears dictated everything

I