Joy Filled Water

Haven’t we been told for years to drink 8-8 ounce glasses of water a day to stay healthy? Have you ever tried that? Every day? Well, it isn’t that easy! I always wondered how they got that equation as a blanket rule. I personally don’t agree that a 107 pound person and a 250 pound person should drink the same amount of water a day. Nevertheless, water is crucial for our health and survival. Too much water or too little water has been known to throw off the balance of our system. There is water, however, of which we can never drink too much. Isaiah 12 is a beautiful messianic hymn of praise for the glorious hope of our salvation! Verse 3: “Therefore with joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.” Jesus told the woman at the well in John Chapter 4 “…whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” It would be nice if we could go through this life with uninterrupted rejoicing. The Fountainhead we drink from neither freezes up, dries up nor becomes blocked. In Romans 12:15, the Word of God exhorts us to: “Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep.” Some people seem to be able to stay right there at that source of joy, drinking continuously, in spite of what the consequences of this life bring about. Others appear to be forever “weeping” over this or that tragedy that has come their way. The word “rejoice” in this scripture is directed toward “learning of the well-being of others.” Weeping, in the same verse, has to do with “grieving or mourning as for a death.” James 5:13 states, “Is any among you sick? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praises.” In my quest to continually be “real”, I have learned that honesty is the best policy. I can’t fake it, formulate it or forge it! If I am sick, weak, depressed, sad, suffering, cast down or perplexed, I am sick, weak, depressed, sad, suffering cast down or perplexed. The word for “pray” in the above scripture means to offer thanksgiving as I call upon the Lord in my day of trouble. If none of us had a “day of trouble” we would never need to call upon the Lord! The reason we can do it with thanksgiving is because deep down, where that water flows, we know the TRUTH. We know God is in control; that he loves us; that all things work for the good of those who love him; that he will never leave us; that his love is great in and through us. It just happens to be our turn for “weeping”. So, we pray and do what Jude, the brother of Jesus said and build ourselves up in the faith and pray in the Holy Spirit. Then before we know it, we are fulfilling the second half of that James Scripture and singing praises in the fellowship of Believers, Colossians 3:16 and building them up. Psalm 30: Joy always comes in the morning! As we go through these cycles of Rejoicing and Weeping, we are becoming more and more deeply rooted and grounded in His love and being filled with all the fullness of God. Ephesians 3:14-19. Now, back to weeping and rejoicing with ONE ANOTHER. In the Book of John, Chapter 11, we read of the death of Lazarus. There were many mourners, wailing and expressing their pain and sorrow. Verse 35 tells us that Jesus wept. Why did he weep? Verse 33 tells us that when Jesus saw Mary, Lazarus’s sister weeping and the Jews weeping, he “groaned in the spirit and was troubled”. The Jews observed Jesus weeping and thought he was doing so because of his great love for Lazarus. I believe he was weeping for another reason. He knew the TRUTH that Lazarus was going to rise from the dead. I am of the opinion he was so moved by compassion because of Mary’s pain and the pain of the others that he was heartbroken for them and the tears flowed freely. We are told to love each other deeply. It is that kind of love that moves us as Psalm 34:18 expresses, “He is near to the broken hearted…”
My original plan for this post was to talk about our dreams and the fact that God never forgets our dreams even when we do and that our dreams have no expiration date. I have been rejoicing with my oldest daughter because she recently had a once forgotten dream fulfilled to become a Baker. It has been a joy to watch the details fall into place and know there are assuredly more pieces to the puzzle. Then my thoughts went to all the people who have recently lost their entire life’s possessions to tornado’s, floods, hurricanes, tsunamis or earthquakes. How can I say to them, “God never forgets your dreams” when every possible, visible “seed” for the growth of that dream has become non-existent? God is still the same. His Truth never becomes a lie. He will, in fact, “perfect that which concerns them”, Psalm 138. “He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus”, Philippians 1:6. There are some, in the midst of these disasters, who are able to rejoice “in the Lord” and proclaim his goodness and grace with thanksgiving. Rejoice with those. There are others who can do no more than weep in pain and agony in the depth of their suffering. Weep with them. Come along side and weep with them as you pray that they take hold of the strength to tap into the Fountainhead of Living Water and drink and drink until they are able to come once again or for the first time to joyfully draw water from the deep, quenching, sweet, clear as crystal, life giving Wells of Salvation!
God, you are faithful whether we are weeping or rejoicing. You are the same Yesterday, Today and Forever (Hebrews 13:8). Thank you for being that Fountain of Living Water. John 7:37 & 38, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink.” I am thirsty Lord! Fill my cup!