Let the Water Move

Watercolor Devotional 1

by Jennifer Greene-Sullivan

January of this year at Kolomoki Mounds, I watched a new friend paint while we read Scripture, fellowshipped, and enjoyed the simple sweetness of being present together. Melissa was our neighbor at the campground, and she painted with Liam.

I watched them, but I secretly prayed that I could paint with watercolors like Joshua. I wanted to take my faith, to take my praise, and to take my liberation to paper in a new way.

Apparently, something was planted that first week in January 2026.

Because now, here I am with watercolor-stained hands, discovering a brand-new expression of worship. At first, I thought I was simply learning something creative, which I am. However, the Lord has been showing me something DEEPER!

Watercolor resists control.

The water moves.

The pigment flows.

The artist cannot fully dictate the outcome. Instead, she has to decide whether she will fight the movement… or yield to it. That sounds a lot like surrender. So much of my life tempts me toward control. I want timelines, answers, outcomes, and certainty. Yet, the Holy Spirit rarely works according to our rigid expectations.

Jesus said:

“Whoever believes in me… ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” (John 7:38, ESV)

Living water flows.

It moves.

It refreshes.

To live in a state of living flowing water is exactly what the Lord is teaching me this year. To let the water move.

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How about YOU?

Where in your life are you still gripping for control?

Is there an area where you have been striving for certainty, answers, or outcomes instead of yielding to the gentle movement of the Holy Spirit?

Watercolor has been teaching me something I did not expect: beauty often emerges not from rigid control, but from surrender. The artist learns to work with what is unfolding instead of forcing what was originally imagined. Our spiritual lives can look much the same.

Jesus, remind us not to be stagnant! Refresh us, Oh God, and allow us to carry the life you died to give us.

Challenge:

This week, ask the Lord to reveal one area where you have been resisting His flow because you fear the loss of control.

Then spend time meditating on these Scriptures:

📖 John 7:38 — Living water that flows from within
📖 Isaiah 43:19 — “I am doing a new thing…”
📖 Proverbs 3:5–6 — Trusting Him instead of leaning on your own understanding
📖 Ezekiel 47:9 — Wherever the river goes, life follows

Instead of asking, “How do I control this?”

Try asking:

“Lord, where are You flowing, and how can I yield?”

Prayer

Lord, Teach me to surrender what I cannot control. Help me stop fighting the flow of Your Spirit and instead yield to where You are leading. Let every gift in my hands become worship. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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