To varying degrees, I think most people know that God has made some promises to Chris and I regarding purchasing a home, living a fulfilling and peaceful life (including work), and having children. Not to get too Old Testament on you, but we've basically been following Him through the desert, sweating it out on our way to the Promised Land (fingers crossed it won't take 40 years). Some portions of the land are coming into view clearer than others and sometimes a dust storm emerges, temporarily blocks all vision, and fills our boots with sand--two things that make a long journey all the more tedious. This is not to say that we live in a perpetual state of sunburn and hunger, but waiting is no laughing matter, especially in a society that loves to hop on a jet plane and skip the desert altogether. In any case, some days (weeks) are tough and if you've ever experienced the burn of holding tight to that Hope string and have started to feel self-conscious about holding on and holding on, wondering if you're crazy for thinking things will ever change, then this post is for you.
My quiet time started in John 4, with the story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman (4:4-26). Jesus sits at a well and "When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, 'Will you give me a drink?'" The woman was confused because he was a Jew and she was a Samaritan (not generally acquaintances) and she asked, "'How can you ask me for a drink?'...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.'" Jesus later explains the living water this way: "'Everyone who drinks this water [earthly 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.'" (New International Version)
Something about Jesus's words, "Will you give me a drink?" caught my attention and I investigated related verses. I ended up in 1 Kings 17:7-16, the story of the widow at Zarephath.
The prophet Elijah traveled into this city and asked a woman for some water and bread. The woman responded, "'As surely as the Lord your God lives, I don't have any bread-- only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it-- and die.' Elijah said to her, 'Don't be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small cake of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son. For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: 'The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord gives rain on the land.' She went away and did as Elijah had told her. So there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family. For the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the word of the Lord spoken by Elijah." (NIV)
I've always thought this story of the widow was exceptional, inspiring, completely awesome on God's part. But today I understood the pain of giving in a time of famine and waiting. I heard my husband's voice in my head, strained and stressed, unsure of anything and everything. I commiserate with the fatigue that pushes us toward using up the rest of our supply and throwing in the towel. I'm pretty sure this woman didn't receive Elijah's request with, "Bread? Sure! I'd love to give you the last of our food! Please, come in and help yourself." I'll bet it was more like, "Whatever, sir. Yeah, take the rest of our food; might as well speed up the dying process because I'm tired of fighting." Regardless, she offered a painful sacrifice and God miraculously sustained her household during a dry season.
Going back to Jesus and the Samaritan woman-- for as long as they conversed, he only ever asked her one question, "Will you give me a drink?" She didn't even know who he was, but if she had, Jesus told her, she would have asked him for water and he would have given her much more. I couldn't help but hear Jesus asking me (and Chris) if I know him and trust him. Do I know and trust His character? Am I willing to keep taking small steps, especially when I'm confused and weary? Will I give him every new day and keep walking with Him? Will I take the daily bread and let it sustain me? Because if I do know him, then I would ask him for sustenance and faith and refreshment...and I would know he'll give it. Because if I do trust him, He wants to honor my small, end-of-the-jar sacrifices with provision beyond my wildest imagination.
God said: "The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord gives rain on the land." 1 Kings 17: 14
Jesus said: "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." John 4:14
These are promises for the desert. Promises for surviving the nasty, violent, lip-chapping dust storms, and refreshment for the weary soul. His question is simple: Do you believe?
I do believe God is who He says He is and that He will does and has sustained us. Thank you for much needed refreshment!
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing such an amazing truth with us. I look forward to making the daily decision with you that we will give Him our sacrifice and ask Him for His water of life.
ReplyDeleteAmen sister!-M
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