40 Days 2023

Day 17 – Showering

Looking at the image for today from May It Be So, you immediately see someone showering, water covering them from head to toe. This is something that the majority of people do. Time and time again, before we start our day or end our night, we hop into the shower and cover ourselves with water and soap.
Likewise, when we ask God once again to grant us assurance of his presence and love it is continuous, like the water rushing down.
Isaiah 64:6 says, “We have all become like one who is unclean.” We have to be honest with ourselves. The ugly truth is that sins can sometimes feel like dirty stains. A stain that not just you can see, but others as well. It can be so maddening that we want to wash it off right away. It can eat away at us so much that we deny that God has already forgiven us. The hardest part is calling upon God with all of our pitiful stains, crying out for God’s comforting presence. Remember, God has never left us. God is omnipresent after all.
Whether we like it or not this daily battle we find ourselves in only stops when Christ himself eradicates sin from the entire earth and wipes away every tear. God’s enemy, that old serpent, revels when we separate ourselves from God’s presence.
Let us rally together and remember God’s promise, “I am with you always.”
Just as a shower removes the muddy build-up from the day, heavenly soap and water, also known as God’s love, can do the trick. Think of it as a spiritual cleansing. Washing away the old self and creating a new one for that day. Just as we place ourselves under the shower, we must place ourselves under God’s influence. We are cleansed and filled with Christ-like love.
The author writes “once again” for the sole reason that, as children of God, we are constantly in a daily battle. King David even writes in Psalms 51:10-11, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. Do not cast me away from your presence. God’s presence is a fortress, it is a hiding place, a place to turn to when all hope is lost.”
Again looking at the image of the person taking a shower, I think about how showers can also be seen as renewal. A shower also can symbolize the washing away of negativity or the purifying of oneself. Showers are rejuvenating. They help release stress, have a calming effect, and can be considered a moment to unwind.
Likewise, stepping into the shower of God’s presence and love creates a clean heart.

Akyira Esson is a student at La Sierra University who loves being at the beach and meeting new people.
These reflections stand alone, but if you want to enjoy the prayers from May It Be So that they’re based on, please click here to request a copy of the book.