Living Water — what is that?

Our city has almost as many people teaching English as a third-world country. People come from many parts of the world to live and work here. They do their best to learn our customs and our language. For instance, my hubby has had engineers ask questions like, “Do I stand up when my boss comes into my office?”

Language can be a big barrier in both directions. English has many odd idioms and figures of speech. I remember a few of us talking to a man about the silly things we say, like, “Go jump in the lake” or “Don’t get your shirt in a knot.” Getting a grasp on these is a big challenge and a sense of humor is needed as well as patience.

Bible study requires an understanding of figures of speech too. For instance, in John 6, Jesus told those who followed Him . . . 

“Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.” (John 6:54–56)

Even those who knew Him struggled with that “hard saying” as they no doubt tried to figure out what it meant. Some still take it literally, which is also confusing.

Later, on the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. (John 7:37–39)

Clearly, He is using a figure of speech. How can living water flow out of a person’s heart? Yet the image is sharper if readers understand the significance of when and where it was presented. It was a Sabbath, the last feast day of the year. The remarkable ceremonies were joyous anyway, but particularly on the last day. Each day prior, the priest brought water in golden vessels from the stream of Siloah. This flowed under the temple-mountain. The priest solemnly poured it upon the altar. This day was the culmination when the words of Isaiah 12:3 were sung:

“With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.” (Isaiah 12:3)

This was a symbolical reference for God’s people. They anticipated God’s salvation and their joy was so ecstatic as this ceremony was performed — accompanied with sound of trumpets — that it used to be said, “Whoever had not witnessed it had never seen rejoicing at all.”

I can picture the crowds and the noise. Then I can imagine Jesus standing up and calling out to those who were thirsty for this water of salvation. He told them they could come to Him and receive it. His words included the joyful news that they would then become a source of this water for others. He used the ceremony to announce that the well of salvation was now available to them, not a literal well or literal water but, as John explains, He is talking about the Holy Spirit.

Tozer responds to these thoughts by saying every Christian can and should be filled with the Holy Spirit, even a “copious outpouring . . . in a measure far beyond that received at conversion” and beyond that enjoyed by most believers today.

Tozer also says I need to get this straight. No doubts. No misunderstanding the figure of speech. Doubt (and confusion) give the devil and open door to mess up my life. The Holy Spirit will not fill anyone who questions the possibility of being filled or doubts His promise.

^^^^^^^^

Jesus, again this is one scene that I can imagine. You stand up amid the noise and excitement of this celebration with the greater news that the living water they have longed for has now arrived. All can come to You and be filled and satisfied — and even more, be a vessel for that water to flow to others. Those who understood what You were saying must have nearly burst with joy. “He’s here! He’s here!”

Thank You so much for language lessons, for images and figures of speech, for the revelation that You are the Messiah, the Savior of the world, the Living Water that has totally satisfied my thirsty soul!

Spiritual Exhaustion

Most pastors take Monday as their day off. Physical fatigue is part of it, but the biggest reason is spiritual exhaustion. This is an odd thing about serving others. It doesn’t matter if it is preaching, teaching, encouraging, working in a soup kitchen, giving time and other resources, leadership, or showing compassion, the actions of genuine biblical service are rooted in the Spirit of God but at the same time exhaust the human vehicle.

It happened to the disciples, even Jesus, but not as much for Him. He knew His source of supply and was often in prayer renewing His spiritual energy. The disciples had not yet learned the need for that, but they would.

As Chambers says, the process of being “broken bread and poured-out wine” means that I will be nourishment for other souls until they learn to feed on God themselves. For this, they will drain my spiritual energy and I must continually restore my supply or soon become utterly exhausted.

Sometimes the motivation for service can betray me. That is, if I serve others out of sympathy for them, or guilt, or just to get them off my back, I will wind up with no right to say — ‘Oh Lord, I am so exhausted.’ I might get tired, but it will not be the same fatigue that comes from serving God. Jesus saved and sanctified me so He could use me. I can be exhausted for God, but must remember that both motivation and supply come from Him.

Worship can also be a service, not to other though. This is for God. As in the Old Testament, singers and dancers alike will say, “All my springs are in you.” (Psalm 87:7) That is, every expression of devotion and joy is from the Lord.

Also, all spiritual fruit also comes from Him . . . “With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.” (Isaiah 12:3) And I have learned that fruit-bearing will make me feel drained, even though love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control come from the Holy Spirit and not from me. (Galatians 5:22–23) I’ve also noticed that when Jesus invited people to come to Him that they might find rest, it was “rest for your souls” — He was not guaranteeing rest for our bodies.

Renewal of spiritual energy requires spending time with the Lord in His Word, but especially in prayer. Jesus went often to a place of prayer. So also have those known as the most energetic of His servants. Without prayer, I don’t know who to serve or how, much less have the energy to do it.

Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:28–31)

Key here are the words “they who wait for the Lord” in which ‘waiting’ means to ‘eagerly look for in hope’ — something that cannot be done if I decide to renew my strength with a nap, or extra sleep, or anything else but spending time with hopes only source!

---

In these busy days of taking care of my hubby and trying to keep that to-do list short, fatigue comes easily. With a long list of responsibilities, renewal in prayer could easily slip to the bottom. However, it must not do that or I wind up wanting to sleep long hours and take several naps a day in an effort to battle fatigue, and wondering why those solutions do not work. My source of strength is Jesus. This does not mean that I can do without physical rest, but it does mean that if I neglect to draw my energy from Him, I will faint and be weary.

The source of Joy

A mild sinus infection is giving me a dull headache. After a few days, I’m feeling grouchy and impatient. Nothing like a slight nagging pain to reveal what I rely on for my joy.

I’ve tried extra sleep, pain killers, salt water sprays (which will eventually fix the infection), and as a distraction, writing, sketching, sewing, television, reading, and music. Instead of helping, none of these have made me feel any better.

This morning, the Lord directed me to a short verse that identifies the source of Christian joy and reminds me that even in this, my comfort and joy is not found in pills, medications, using my skills, or even in music.

Singers and dancers alike say, “All my springs are in you.” (Psalm 87:7)

Here, the Word of God points to those involved in worship. They sing and dance, but they know that the source of their ability is God, not themselves.

With this verse, Oswald Chambers reminds me that all natural talent has no value when it comes to serving Christ. That is, any abilities that I have apart from Christ cannot produce eternal fruit. I must rely on Him and the power of the Holy Spirit who lives in me to effectively serve God.

This principle is also true regarding my own spiritual condition. That is, to be joyful I cannot rely on my own resources. They may not be wrong in themselves, but my “solutions” cannot produce the fruit of the Spirit in me. Joy is never the result of things I can do apart from Christ.

Isaiah said, “With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation” (Isaiah 12:3), echoing the praises of the singers and dancers in the psalms. That is, he knew that their music was lovely and gave them much delight, but it was God who supplied the very life within them.

In that same vein, God supplies my life too. Because of that, He is the joy of my life, the very source of it. Before I was saved, I did many things to give me peace and a sense of well-being. However, those are nothing compared to the joy of salvation and the power of the Holy Spirit to produce joy, even when life is upside-down.

I’m convicted by this. Instead of going deeper into self-pity over present discomfort, God wants me to go deeper into Him, to find the joy that He gives, the joy that overcomes the world.

On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ ” (John 7:37–38)

This living water, this joy, is in Him. It is not in anything else, not my abilities nor the pleasures and “fixers” of life. They might work for others, but He shows me that if I want true joy, even when my head aches, I need to run to Him. He also reminds me that this living water is to flow outward; it is for others as much as it is for me.

********

Jesus, it is easy to trust You and enjoy life when all goes well. You have undergirded me in the past with the power of Your Spirit to produce peace and joy in my heart, even in tough times. Today, this fruit of joy can be mine also. While I need to take care of the physical needs, instead of feeling sorry for myself, I need to be filled with Your Spirit that I might praise You and be a blessing to those around me.