Dear Pilgrim, are you thirsty? Are you feeling the burden of
walking in a dry, parched land where there is no water? Is your soul thirsty? Are
you like a deer, panting for some water? Then come with me, I have something to
show you.
Come with me to Kadesh. 40 years of wandering in the desert,
witnessing the daily miraculous provision of manna from heaven, and the
Israelites are thirsty. There is no water for them. Some of them must surely
remember that 40 years ago, when their fathers were thirsty at Horeb and
grumbled, Moses cried out to God and was commanded to “Strike the rock, and water will come out of it for the people to drink.” Surely they will remember.
Surely they will ask their God to quench their thirst.
Dear Pilgrim, can you hear? That is not the sound of people
crying out to God in humility that He might meet their need and quench their
thirst! I hear the sound of grumbling. Murmuring. Oh! Why are these people so
stiff-necked? Why are they caught in their unbelief?
But what is this? Can you hear the Voice of the Lord, dear
Pilgrim? He commands Moses to “Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water.” Not strike the rock! The Rock has been smitten once, this
Rock that points us to Christ, that points us to His death once and for all for
the forgiveness of sins, from Whom a spring of water welling up to eternal life
is given. No, this Rock must not be struck again. All that is needed is to “speak”
to the Rock. Speak to Christ. Come before Him in humility, acknowledge your
thirst, your need, your desperation for Him. It matters not that water had been
given at a previous time to meet a previous thirst. The needs of today are
different.
Dear Pilgrim, look! Moses…he is striking the rock
twice…frustration, anger….disobeying the command of his God, marring the
perfect picture of Christ that God had wanted to provide His people….but look, look at the grace of God. Water….water….it is gushing out of the Rock! Do you see,
thirsty Pilgrim? Our God has an abundant provision, and He is waiting for us to
ask of Him! Oh, thirsty Pilgrim, come with me to this high mountain in the land of Israel, look, see this water flowing from the temple…come, walk with me…ankle deep…now knee deep….waist deep….deep enough to swim in….it’s too deep to cross!
Water…water…it is gushing out of the Rock!
Do you see this, thirsty Pilgrim? Do you see this? Then let
us be bold, and let us ask that He might quench the thirst of our souls with
the water gushing out of the Rock.
Posts
All I can hear is, "Ho, if you're thirsty, come to the water, you who have no money, come, buy, and eat!" -Isaiah 55:1
ReplyDeleteWe used to sing this verse as a song in the early days of my salvation. The service was at 6pm on Sunday nights, and all we had for music was our pastor who played guitar and a few tambourines in the congregation. But he could sing. And he led us in worship. The unity in the Spirit was profound, you could hear us clapping from all around, and the singing was with one voice, you could hear a pin drop between songs. That was back in the day when sharing a testimony from the pew was welcome and tears were free to fall. There was liberty. God was pleased with that kind of worship. His nearness was sweet and the love of Jesus abounded through each one to another. We understood that we were the body of Christ, and members in particular.
We walked away changed after every service, as the water had flowed there. God had done something special in that little town. Whole families were getting saved. Christ was lifted up and men were being drawn.
Thank you for this special post, Diana. It is so God-honoring.
As God would have it, He has seen fit to place us in a church where the meetings sound so similar to all you have described here, where indeed, the water flows. Such a rich blessing, to be members of a body where the water is flowing. ♥
DeleteI remember those days E - sweet simplicity, worship and evangelism that came naturally. We need to get back to that I think.
DeleteThis speaks to my thirsty soul. My favorite song by Phil Lawson Johnston (Trinity Brompton, Alpha Course, also glassblower) is on his "Home for Eternity" CD, now out of print:
ReplyDeleteThe poor and needy
Search for water;
Their tongues are parched with thirst.
The Lord will answer them;
He will make rivers flow,
Turning deserts into springs.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
Like a spring whose waters never fail,
Like a pool in the desert, bursting forth in the desert,
Like the garden of the Lord.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
Like a spring whose waters never fail. (Spring up, O well!)
The Lord is your shepherd,
You will lack nothing, you will lie down in peace.
There in green pastures, and by still waters,
He will restore your soul.
So come, all ye weary ones, and heavy-laden,
Come now and be refreshed.
Come with your weariness, lay down your burden;
Jesus will give you rest.
You will be like a well-watered garden...
Thank you, Diana!
Perfect! What perfect lyrics! Thank you so much for sharing these, Tammy. We sing some other of Phil Lawson Johnston's songs at church - Jesus is the Name we honour, and We will magnify. I'd love to hear the tune for this, but alas, it doesn't seem to be online. Maybe you could sing it to Liz, and she can sing it to me sometime ;) Bless you, Tammy, may He quench the thirst of your soul, may He fill you to overflowing with the abundance of His life-giving water.
DeleteIf only I could find a Church where life giving water flows. I know that God has reasons, and I trust them but some days I think I may never find that that living water inside of a group of believers. I am so thankful that you have Diana. Much love to you, and thank you for sharing your heart for God.
ReplyDeleteTeresa, that's exactly the issue...so few churches today, for all kinds of reasons, are places where that life-giving water flows. You are walking in the reality of what is surely the biggest issue with our churches today. But all hope is not lost...for God is stirring His people, He is shaking His people, and for those who come to Him thirsty, the promise is always that He will quench their thirst. May He provide you with a local body of believers who are eager to step into the river and get their feet wet ♥
DeleteLove this Diana - We should never give up praying when we find ourselves in that desert place - God eventually answered my prayers for a fellowship of believers with zeal and a pastor who adores His word - but it was more than a decade.
ReplyDeleteYes, God always answers our prayers when we are thirsty, however long it takes - it was at the end of the wedding feast in Cana that the best wine was served up after the call went out "they have no more wine". He is a faithful God! God bless you, Diane! ♥
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