I recently spoke with a good friend who lives in another state, and he said, “I am listening to the rain on my roof. It has not rained for almost a month, and it sounds real good”.
We all need water to survive and thrive. When we have gone without it for awhile, and suffered through the impact of a drought, we can really appreciate the sense of relief that comes when the water finally returns.
There is another type of water, a living water, that feeds and sustains our souls and brings us back from periods of spiritual dryness. Most of us go through times when God feels far away, and our spirit seems desperate and empty. Sometimes these are just normal bumps in the road on our life journey, other times they are brought about by our own poor choices and direction.
The prophet Isaiah tells us that the Lord wants to refresh us from both physical and spiritual dryness.
17 “The poor and needy seek water, but there is none,
Their tongues fail for thirst.
I, the Lord, will hear them;
I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them.
18 I will open rivers in desolate heights,
And fountains in the midst of the valleys;
I will make the wilderness a pool of water,
And the dry land springs of water. Isaiah 41:17-18 (NKJV)
Isaiah brought his prophetic messages into a land that was devoid of authentic spirituality. The people were engaged in a futile pursuit of false gods and idols that could not provide abundant life, having turned their backs upon the Lord who had brought then into the good land. Nevertheless, the prophet spoke loving words of life to them, words with the power to restore and renew their land and their spirits, if they would receive them.
Hundreds of years later, Jesus walked that same land bringing good news of the kingdom of heaven. He would perform the ultimate sacrifice on the cross that would open the door to salvation, such that the Holy Spirit would be able to provide ever-flowing living water, giving sustenance to their souls.
One time when Jesus was thirsty, He came to a water well and asked a Samaritan woman to give Him a drink. She had been living far from God, and in His Spirit Jesus knew her and all the details of her wayward life, and loved her. Instead of condemning her for a series of poor choices, Jesus spoke gently to her, offering her the hope of salvation which is there for all who turn to God. Picking up in their conversation, we read from the gospel of John:
10 Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.” John 4:10 (NKJV)
Confused, the woman noted that Jesus didn’t even have a water jar – how could He possibly give her this living water?
13 Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” John 4:13 (NKJV)
As a result, the woman believed that Jesus was the Messiah, or Christ, and ran to tell her fellow townspeople. Many of them who came out to see Jesus also believed, and were eternally saved as a result of her loving action. She had previously been the town outcast, now she was its salvation.
Isaiah’s prophecy of refreshment is still being fulfilled today on many levels. Physically, the land of Israel brings a bountiful harvest to the world from land that was once dry and barren. Fresh water, hard work, and ingenious irrigation methods have been some of the tools used as part of this miracle.
This is also happening today with the living water. God’s kingdom, which started as a small seed in the land of Israel, is growing and spreading throughout the whole world, bringing eternal life to dry and barren souls from every nation on the globe. The Messiah’s Spirit is filling hearts, welling up to form a living spring in dry places. Pools of life-giving spiritual water are gathering, bringing hope in a desert wilderness and new life to all who would seek it.
May the Lord’s living water provide life, hope, and joy to dry spirits everywhere.
Reflection
Have you gone through periods of spiritual dryness or drought? Perhaps you are going through one now.
Sometimes we know the cause, other times, we can only speculate why – perhaps God wants us to realize how much we truly need Him? In any event, these are temporary conditions, and He will abundantly refresh and restore our souls to bring us closer to Him and spiritually stronger than ever before.
Lord, reach out to heal those of us going through a period of spiritual dryness. Draw us close to You, our first love. Renew our spirits with Your spiritual water, and help us to thirst for a closer fellowship with You. Be our delight this day. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
May His serenity, joy, and peace abound with you today.
Daily Meditations from the Genealogy of Jesus 