Foreseeing Judah’s weariness in the coming Babylonian exile, Isaiah gave a great promise from the LORD: “Fear not…For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour my Spirit upon your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants. They shall spring up among the grass like willows by flowing streams” (Isaiah 43:2-4).
Aren’t those powerful images? Imagine the dry, cracked, dusty ground. Imagine the sudden change as the water first washes over it. The displacement of what is loose. The way the water seeps in and changes the ground’s consistency. The appearance of new life, as vegetation begins to spring up.
What a fitting description for the pouring out of God’s Spirit! The sudden and dramatic change brought on by contact with the life-giving water. The disruption of what was in our lives, the seeping in to change the character of who we are, and the fruit that results.
King David invoked similar imagery in the Psalms: “I stretch out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land” (Psalm 143:6). Feeling his spirit fail because of his own sin within and foes without, he cried: “Deliver me from my enemies, O LORD! I have fled to you for refuge. Teach me to do your will, for you are my God! Let your good Spirit lead me on level ground!” (Psalm 143:9-10).
Like David in his struggles or Judah in their exile, it is so easy for us to become dry. Parched. Thirsty. Because of our own sins. Because of our struggles with other people and circumstances. But we don’t have to stay that way. The promised Messiah has come: His name is Jesus (John 4:25-26). He offers us His Holy Spirit, living water that wells up into eternal life within us and flows from our hearts like rivers (John 4:10-14, 7:37-39). If we run to Him – putting our faith in Jesus as we repent of the wrong that causes our thirst and are buried with Him in baptism – our sins will be forgiven. We will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. And He will help us. He will lead us into a fruitful life. And we will never be thirsty again.
Are you ready to learn more about how to live a Spirit-led life? Check our our new sermon series, “Living Water: Never Be Thirsty Again”.