He will shelter Israel from the storm and the wind. He will refresh her as a river in the desert and as the cool shadow of a large rock in a hot and weary land. - Isaiah 32:2
A river in the desert. What could be more desirable? When we think of water, we think of the Holy Spirit. Jesus said that “the water I give them takes away thirst altogether. It becomes a perpetual spring within them, giving them eternal life” (John 4:14). He also said, “If you are thirsty, come to me! If you believe in me, come and drink! For the Scriptures declare that rivers of living water will flow out from within” (John 7:37-38). By this, he meant the Spirit.
In myself, if Christ by his Spirit does not live in me, I have no power to refresh people who thirst inwardly for eternal things. But if he does indeed live within my heart, I can become a river in the desert, bringing the water of life to those who are thirsty.
When I first came to Christ and had my own needs met and my inner thirst satisfied, I realized my friends were thirsty too. I prayed I would become a river.
One of my best friends asked me to play tennis. She knew something had happened to me and was curious. In between “love-fifteen” and “love-thirty,” she asked me to explain my new satisfaction. I had the great joy of diverting some of the living water over her! Before we got to game point, Jesus had won, and she was as drenched with delight as I was. She was well on the way to becoming a refreshing river too!
For Further Study: Isaiah 32:1-8
Excerpted from The One Year Devotions for Women, Copyright ©2000 by Jill Briscoe. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.
For more from Jill Briscoe, please visit TellingtheTruth.org.
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