Thirsting For The Water Of Life — Part 2

The “overnight” parts for our new well drop pipe didn’t ship until Wednesday, so they finally arrived last night immediately before we left for a Christmas concert (I’ll put another post up about the concert—incredible!). Not only did they arrive, but they fit perfectly.

So today is the day. Everything is ready for the well install, and this means we might all get hot showers without having to borrow them! However, I didn’t just jump out there first thing this morning because it was 23 degrees and the ground was covered in frost. It’s supposed to warm up to around 39 by noon, and that sounds better.

I have pondered more deeply the words of Isaiah 55 over the last few days of this final waiting. Not only the verses I quoted earlier, but the ones that follow, verses 4 through the end.

Here is the whole chapter:

“Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come buy and eat! Come buy wine and milk without money and without cost.

Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy?

Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare.

Give ear and come to me; hear me, that your soul may live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you, my faithful love promised to David.

See how I have made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander of the peoples.

Surely you will summon nations you know not, and nations that do not know you will hasten to you, because of the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he has endowed you with splendor.”

Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declared the Lord.

As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the fields will clap their hands.

Instead of the thornbush will grow the pine tree, and instead of briers the myrtle will grow.

This will be for the Lord’s renown, for an everlasting sign, which will not be destroyed.

Here are my new observations:

Thought 1: Spiritual Bathing?

When verse 1 speaks about thirsty people, I have come to realize that thirsty people are also dirty people. With no running water in the house, we first meet our needs of thirst before we meet our needs of bathing. If there is not enough to drink, we certainly aren’t going to waste it on keeping clean—ourselves or the house.

Thankfully we have had enough water from kind neighbors to do basic cleaning and we certainly have gotten enough to drink. But you know what? We don’t have enough to shower. Getting ready to go to the concert last night was a challenge as we had to make sure we didn’t smell.

How does this fit in with Isaiah 55? Take a look at verse 7. “Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts.” People who are spiritually thirsty are also spiritually dirty. If they do not have enough of God to slake the thirst of their soul, then they certainly haven’t let God clean their souls. My soul needs cleaning every day. Every minute. The concepts of Spiritual Breathing by Bill Bright come to mind here, only I would say in the context of this post, “Spiritual Bathing”.

Thought 2: What Does The Water Represent?

The water that we are thirsty for is not real, physical, water, but rather spiritual. If spiritual, what is it? I would say from looking at verses 10-11 that this spiritual water is none other than God’s word: “As the rain and snow … so is my word that goes out from my mouth.”

It is God’s word that satisfies us! It is God’s word that cleanses us!

Thought 3: What Does This Spiritual Water Accomplish?

It not only slakes our thirst for God, it not only cleanses us, but it makes the world beautiful! See verse 13 “Instead of the thornbush will grow the pine tree, and instead of briers the myrtle will grow.” God’s word makes the desert places that are void of His presence to bloom!

How does his word spread? By the sowers (see verse 10)! Who are the sowers of God’s word? His people!

This fits perfectly in with the purpose of Christian speculative fiction authors—to fill the world with God-glorifying writings that grow from the seed of God’s word planted in our lives. It is my personal goal to do this—to take what God has planted in my life and multiply it and share it with others. To fill the world with beauty and truth.

As it says at the end of verse 13 “This will be for the Lord’s renown, for an everlasting sign, which will not be destroyed.”

The things that we write that glorify Him and spread His renown will not be destroyed. God will purify the dross, even from my own writings, but all true and noble things created for His glory will never go “out of print”.