“As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God.” — Psalm 42:1
Many great athletes put a heavy emphasis on their diet. They want to fuel their body to perform at the highest level. Tom Brady, for example, drinks 12 to 25 glasses of water a day, always with electrolytes added, and he eats meals plenty full of protein, vegetables and nutrients. Each meal Brady eats is perfected to allow his body the greatest chance to recover and be in prime condition to compete.
LeBron James is no different. He typically starts a game day with an egg-white omelet, smoked salmon and gluten-free pancakes with berries, and then for lunch eats whole-wheat pasta, salmon and vegetables.
As athletes, we understand the importance of fueling our body to recover from a game or practice. We know we have to supply it with fuel so it will be primed to perform. In the same way, we also need to fuel our souls.
We all long for connection with God, our Creator and Heavenly Father. We have a distinct hunger and thirst for fellowship with God; it’s the way He created us. And if we fail to achieve this fellowship, we starve and parch our souls.
So how do we fuel our soul? There are three places we can go to fuel up spiritually: the Word, prayer and community.
The Bible is the greatest resource God gave us. It is the living Word of God, and a great way for us to build up our souls each day. Prayer is when we go right to God, one on one. Often in Scripture, we see Jesus retreating and isolating to speak with God. He realized the importance of being with His Father, one on one. Prayer refreshes our spirit and aligns our heart with God. And He created us to be in community with one another. Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 says, “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up.” The Church and fellow believers are great resources to help strengthen and refuel our souls.
Father, I pray that we seek to fuel our spirit as well as our body today. Give us the drive and motivation to be in Your presence constantly. Fill us up and strengthen us in Your power. Amen.
— Nik Pry
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