North Texas is still experiencing a drought. Twice in the last three days the skies have clouded up and we have heard thunder and seen lightning. While several communities around us received rain, there has still been none where I live. I know I wrote about a shower we received around July 21, but it did not even settle the dust. The hard truth is that we have not had any measurable rain at my house since June 1. My pond is four feet lower than it was in May.
Back in the Fall of 2020, I planted pine trees around my property. Ten of them were about two feet tall. I also ordered 100 saplings, six inches of roots and six inches above the ground. I planted 80 of them around the property and put the other 20 in pots. I was experimenting to see which ones would do better. I have a very long driveway, and 40 of those trees were planted 8 feet apart across the front of the property and along one side of the drive. All these trees survived the state-wide freeze of February 2021. For the most part, they survived last summer. I used the ones in the pots to replace the ones that didn’t make it. After another brutally cold February for us in North Texas this year, I was down to about 65 trees left. The drought changed all that. As of this morning, I have five pine trees still living.
Lack of water has devastating effects. While I bemoan the loss of some trees, that is trivial compared to the farmers and ranchers in these parts struggling with crop failure and dying livestock. Lord, have mercy.
2 Chron. 6:26-27 “When the heavens are shut up and there is no rain because your people have sinned against you, and when they pray toward this place and confess your name and turn from their sin because you have afflicted them, then hear from heaven and forgive the sin of your servants, your people Israel. Teach them the right way to live, and send rain on the land you gave your people for an inheritance.” Your people cry out to you, Lord.
The physical lack of water is bad. Even worse is the spiritual lack of water. Spiritual devastation occurs when people do not have the living water that came down from heaven. When speaking to the Samaritan woman at the well, Jesus said:
John 4:10–14 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his flocks and herds?” Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
The understanding of who Jesus is and what He accomplished for us is what satisfies. I know that He lived, suffered, died, was buried, and rose from the dead to give me forgiveness for all my sins and guaranteed eternal life. It is not what I have done, but what Jesus has done. He is the living water that alone quenches our spiritual thirst. And He gives us a lasting supply of living water.
John 7:37–38 “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.”
It needs to flow through us so that those still living in the parched wasteland of unbelief and receive that only thing that wells up to eternal life. We dare not keep this life-giving, soul-quenching water to ourselves. Lord, help us to let streams of Your living water flow through us.
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In case anyone is interested, Cheryl and I will be co-hosting a trip to Greece next year with Donna Snow: Walk in the Footsteps of Paul. The links to the brochure and registration form are below.
https://www.artesianministries.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/10-Day-2023-Greece-Tour-Brochure.pdf
