Drawing Water

     "Therefore with joy you will draw water
      from the wells of salvation" Isaiah 12:3

I can remember as a child visiting my grandparent's farm in the south.  All their water came from a well just off the front porch.  I'd drop the bucket down into the deep, dark hole until it broke the surface of the water with a splash.  Then, I'd turn the handle and watch as the rope wound around the overhead pulley and a bucket brimming with cold water lifted up to the surface.  The water from that well was the best-tasting water I've ever had -- and it was fun for us city-kids to draw water from a real, old-fashioned well.

This picture I took in Williamsburg, reminds me of those by-gone days.  The well-surround in the photo is fancier than my grandparent's well, but the bucket, pulley, rope and chain are very similar and all bring back happy memories of cold, clear water and the feel of turning the cold metal handle to raise water from the well.

We all need water to live and if our bodies don't get enough water, we become dehydrated, weak, confused, and can even die.  That's also a picture of our need for the salvation of Jesus Christ and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in our lives.  We need the water of salvation to live spiritually.  Without that water, we become dehydrated, weak, confused, and can even die spiritually (translated -- end up in hell).  Jesus made it clear to us that He is the living water and anyone who drinks from the water He offers (translated -- the free gift of salvation) that person will never thirst again.

What does that mean -- "will never thirst again?"  First and foremost, it means we are partakers of the living water of salvation and will live eternally with God in heaven.  But, while we're still here on earth, traveling along our journey of life, we need water to keep from becoming dehydrated, weak and confused -- all of which can even happen to a Christian if we don't frequently drink from the water of God's Word and spend time in His presence. 

A verse in Psalm 42 describes how a Child of God feels when we haven't stayed properly hydrated with God's Spirit and we're thirsty for a closer walk with Him:   "As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for you, O God.  My soul thirsts for God, for the living God."

We need to daily draw from the deep, satisfying well of Almighty God.  As a result, He has promised to give us strength for our weakness and guidance for our confusion -- and a joy that only comes from being properly hydrated in the Spirit.  Drink up and rejoice in the Giver of all good things.