Digging New Wells
On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, ‘If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.
John 7:37-38
One of Jesus's greatest offers is that He is the source of the spiritual refreshment that men and women long for. In John's gospel, we read, “On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, ‘If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water” (John 7:37-38).
Many of us know what that is like as we seek to “drink of” the Savior in our private time with Him. Those moments of worship, prayer, and the Word provide daily refreshing which is so valuable.
However, have you ever come out of those established practices and still found yourself spiritually dry? I sure have. To be sure, some of those dry times are due to some area of spiritual slippage which I haven’t yet dealt with.
Yet, there are also occasions when even after having taken a spiritual inventory (see Psalm 139:23-24), and I don’t sense any disconnect with the Lord due to compromise, I still feel dry. Perhaps you can relate.
I recently came across some suggestions regarding this from a pastor named Glenn Packiam. He says that sometimes we need to access the living water by “drinking from another well.”
Creatures of Habit
As creatures of habit, we typically hold onto familiar spiritual practices. We listen to the same style of worship music. We pray the same way. We engage God’s Word in the same way.
And it’s not that these were bad. Indeed, they might have served us in a positive way. Yet over time they no longer deliver what we need.
We walk away from our time with the Lord feeling thirsty and disappointed. However, it’s not that the lack of water is the problem. Nor is it that the well has gone bad.
Rather, we simply need to find another way to access that great underground water source. The river of life still exists in all of its refreshing beauty. We just need another way of drawing from it.
Packiam suggests that it’s at times like this when we need to “dig a new well.” We don’t have to criticize our former practices. They worked for a season and those wells still have their value. But not for us…at least not now.
A Few Ideas
So, how might you dig a new well? When it comes to listening to worship music, what if you took a break from the contemporary style and accessed some of the old hymns of the faith?
As it relates to time in the Word, rather than using a familiar translation, what if you moved to something like The Message for a season?
Regarding your prayer time, what if you included something new such as reading from the Book of Common Prayer?
And here’s another thought. Change your location. Spend your time with the Lord in a different room of your house or sit outside. Try taking a walk or sitting in a church. (I have a friend who found it quite moving to sit in a Catholic sanctuary amid the candles and statuary.)
There will be a time when the wells you knew seem dry. That being the case, we need more wells if we’re going to last in this wilderness that we’re walking through.
Oh…and one more thing courtesy of Packiam. “You know when the best time is to dig a well? Before you need the water. Too many of us wait until the well we’ve been drinking from has run dry or ceases to satisfy.”
So don’t wait until your soul is parched and dry. Dig another well before you need the water.
Devotionals for Every Day Disciples is brought to you by our partners.
To support Dave DeSelm Ministries by becoming a partner, CLICK HERE.