Life source

 When travelling in Palestine, and especially when walking through a wilderness, the single most important commodity is water. This was true in in Bible times, and is still true today. Water was, and still is, our most vital life source and, without it, there can be no life of any kind.

We cannot over-estimate the importance of water in Biblical times. When the Israelites found water, they found life; towns and communities were built around wells. If you owned land where there was a natural water supply, you were in a position of great power. Everything revolved around the availability of water, and serious disputes arose over claims of ownership of wells.

As Christians, what is our ‘life source’; that thing that brings us life and, without which we simply would not survive? It is our relationship with God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit). He is our life source, our everything, our all in all.

When we give our hearts to the Father and ask Jesus to become Lord of our lives, a metaphorical ‘well of life’ is released on the inside of us. Jesus tells us through His conversation with the Samarian woman at the well in John 4 that, “…whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life."

  The water Jesus gives us becomes in us a well of water springing up. Wow! I love how Isaiah puts it: “Therefore you will joyously draw water from the springs of salvation” (Isaiah 12:3). One of the greatest joys and privileges of being a child of God is that we get to draw water from that well of salvation – to literally draw life from our relationship with Father. We are able to drink the pure water of life from the well that never runs dry!

The scripture in John 4 says that the water that Jesus gives us becomes IN US a well of water. Imagine that! The source of life itself in all its potency, flowing from within us! We don’t have to go anywhere or turn to anyone else to draw that water – from the moment we become Christians, that well flows within us.

Proverbs 5:15 encourages us to “Drink water from your own cistern, and fresh water from your own well.” Although the context of this scripture is about marriage, and being satisfied with the spouse that God has given you, I believe the same principle can be applied to the joy of being able to drink water from your own well or cistern (your relationship with God), instead of having to find someone or something else to quench your thirst.

I started writing this blog series when the world was in the grip of a global pandemic brought about by the deadly virus, Covid 19. In an effort to stop this virus from spreading, governments all over the world announced a state of lockdown. Never had the need to ‘drink from our own wells’ seemed more essential than during that time of lockdown.

Thousands upon thousands of people in the United Kingdom and in different countries worldwide found themselves isolated, cut off from the people they loved, unable to meet with people socially, go to work or even attend church. Forbidden to hug and care for those they loved, many people were robbed of the basic right to be at their loved ones bedside during their time of illness, and even at the time of their death. Weddings and graduations had to be cancelled, funerals were stripped back to the barest of elements, schools and colleges closed, and everything that wasn’t absolutely essential was shut down. 

None of us had any idea that our 2020 journey would take a turn in that direction; the pandemic took the world by storm. For many, that lockdown season resulted in them experiencing significant struggles with their mental health, brought about by the loneliness and isolation that was forced upon them.

For those who were mature and knew how to ‘drink from their own well’ (in other words,  those who were experienced in digging deep into their relationship with God in difficult times without having to look to other people), the lockdown was manageable, although definitely not comfortable or enjoyable. However, for those whose life source sprang from their daily interactions with other people, lockdown was like a prison sentence.

One of the good things to come about from the pandemic was the vast increase in the number of people world-wide who started reaching out to God. It was as though the pandemic made us acutely aware of our own mortality and vulnerability and, in response to that, many turned to the Lord and started to ‘dig their own well’ with Him.

Proverbs 4:23 exhorts us, “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.” Our well – our relationship with God – is our life source and it is absolutely vital that we look after it, because everything we do springs from it. Our number one priority, that which takes precedence over every single area of our life, must be to nurture and develop our relationship with God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We’ll talk more about what that looks like next time!

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Until next time ….

Ask yourself some hard questions:

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What or who is the most important thing or person in my life?

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Is my relationship with God more important than my spouse, my family, my career or my ministry?

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Do I know God personally myself, or do I know him only as the God of my parents,

spouse, children or church leaders?

·       How deep or shallow is my personal well with God?

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Am I able to connect deeply with Him at anytime, anywhere, or do I find I can only connect with Him when in a church gathering?