Joyfully Drawing a Long Cool Drink
Are you waiting on God for something? Let us pray for you.
“With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.” (Isaiah 12:3)
I love the word picture that Isaiah 12:3 gives us. Can’t you just picture taking your bucket with a long rope attached and dropping it down into the deep well? You hear the splash below and feel the tension on the rope as the bucket fills. As you draw the bucket up you know the drink will be long and cold and refreshing. Ahhh, coming to the well is so worth the trip. Especially when the day is dry and hot and dusty.
The only thing that can prevent that long and refreshing drink is a hole in the bucket. Though you long for the life giving water, if there’s a hole you’ll draw up an empty bucket.
As we begin to explore the refreshing truths and sure principles of following Jesus let’s first make sure our bucket is intact. The biggest holes in our buckets of faith are generally caused by one thing: a lack of confidence. As we draw from the well of salvation the cool refreshment simply leaks out when we harbor a lack of confidence in who our God is and in who we are in Jesus Christ.
In order to draw deeply from the well of salvation we must first be confident that our God is who He says He is and that He will do what He says He will do. Often we find our confidence in God has slipped away when things have not gone as we had hoped and planned. Yet God alone is the one who sees the road ahead. Only He knows just what our hearts need to keep going. Refresh your confidence in God today by reviewing His character as revealed through His names here: http://truthmedia.com/training/attributes_god/
If your confidence in who you are in Jesus Christ has slipped and you feel the promises of God don’t include you then take some time to review just how God sees you. As His child you are every bit included in those who can draw deeply from His well. Review how He sees you here:
http://www.ficm.org/index.php?command=textwhoamiinchrist
Patch the hole in your bucket. Believe God with fresh faith. Walk in who He says you are with fresh confidence. Then you will be able to draw from His deep well with a joy that is overflowing.
Father God,
Often my confidence in You can wane when I don’t understand what You are doing or not doing in my life. Help me to fully believe and completely trust that You have my best interests at heart. May I lean hard on You in complete assurance that Your love for me will carry me through. Help me to see myself as You see me – forgiven, dearly loved, accepted, chosen, and fruitful. Give me a deep understanding of being clothed in the strength and dignity that You provide for me. Restore my bucket of faith so that I may draw deeply and with great joy from the well of salvation. In Jesus’ name I pray, with thanksgiving. Amen.
Question: What holes are in your bucket right now? What truth will you apply to patch them up?
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This devotional as well, Gail, which you wrote just as you wrote the last one I commented on, registered with me. I have trouble praying to God about things on my mind and in my heart that really need to be prayed about. I want to love and trust him, and on the whole I’d say I do, but from time to time I’ve had trouble trusting in his love for me and the fact that he can see what all is happening to us down here and yet sometimes he provides no immediate intervention to help us when we are in a big bind. I think then, ‘where were you, God when this was happening to me? How come you couldn’t help me in some way when I needed it most?’ But then at other times, it is easier for me to turn to God and to pray about things and for others. I have to admit I’ve not been praying a lot lately, but I recall one morning last year where I was desperately in need of help and my prayer to him consisted of two words that were spoken in a tearful whisper: “God, help.” He helped me in that difficult situation by giving me the courage I needed, albeit hard to gather when the time came, to share my struggle with a family member I felt needed to know about it as they might have some helpful guidance or insight to offer me. Through tears I confided to them about my predicament three days later, and what a relief I felt when I was finished. I remember going for a brisk walk on my treadmill after my chat with the particular family member, and becoming really positively energized by that.
God is good. I know his grace is sufficient. I’m still learning, and I’m still growing, and I’m still maturing. I don’t think we ever stop doing those three things throughout our entire lives. Even though sometimes I feel so alone that it hurts me really badly inside–not just emotionally, but sometimes even physically a little, I know in my head that God will never leave me, that he loves me as do many people who I love in return, and that his power is made perfect in my times of weakness. My heart, however, sometimes struggles to accept him as it is so filled with pain and sorrow. I love him dearly and want to show his presence in my life through my actions towards others by being kind, gentle, patient, forgiving, helpful, striving to make new friends, being encouraging to others and in general, I want to be a person that people can observe and see that I have a God in my life who’s helping me better myself more and more each day. Sometimes I slip up–who doesn’t?–but there’s always tomorrow. Praise God for that!
Thank-You,Lord,that even though my life has some difficult twists & turns going on right now…& at times I feel like I will break…& yes,there are times when I still find it hard to believe that I am forgiven,dearly loved,accepted etc. & I don`t always know where the address*truth* is found in my Bible *so I can patch up the holes in my bucket of faith*but I have a strong knowing that allows me to trust that You are walking beside me,guiding me every step of the way on the journey You have set before me.
I loved the link on this devotional connecting to Freedom in Christ. It is so well worth reading Who I Am In HIM! It patched up a few of the holes in my bucket! Love it! Love it! Love it!