Dig Another Well Series

But somebody says, “Pastor, I don’t want to persevere. I’m too tired of fighting. Instead of going on, I want to give up. How can I persevere when I don’t have the strength or energy to take even one more step?” Have you ever been there? I have… many times. That’s when you need to stop for a while and…

REMEMBER GOD’S PROMISES.

Recall what God has said, and rely on His commitment to you.

For you see, God’s commitment to you is more important than your commitment to Him. Believers often waver in their own commitments, but God never wavers in His commitments to them. God will keep His promises to you no matter what, and you can count on His resolve even when your own resolve has shriveled up to almost nothing under the heat of the struggle.

That’s what Isaac does. In the heat of opposition and drought, he counts on God’s promises. He relies on God’s commitment to him.

Genesis 26:23-24 From there he went up to Beersheba. And the LORD appeared to him the same night and said, “I am the God of Abraham your father. Fear not, for I am with you and will bless you and multiply your offspring for my servant Abraham’s sake.” (ESV)

God is just reminding Isaac of the promise He made to him when all of this started (vs.4-5).

Genesis 26:25 So he built an altar there and called upon the name of the LORD and pitched his tent there. And there Isaac’s servants dug a well. (ESV)

Isaac worships the Lord, pitches his tent and digs another well. Only this time it is a well of promise. Up until now he has been digging wells of opposition with names like “contention” and “enmity.” Now, he digs a well that will remind him of God’s promise; and every time he drinks from that well or passes it by, Isaac will remember what God has said. Isaac will remember God’s commitment to him, and that will help him in his commitment to God.

Oh, my dear friends, when opposition comes, do what Isaac did. Worship the Lord, pitch a tent for a little while, and dig a well of promise. In other words, stop and remember God’s commitment to you so you don’t give up on your commitment to Him.

Last year (2019), a devastating fire ravaged the building housing Freedom Ministries Church in West Virginia. It was intense enough to justify a joint response from several nearby fire departments. It was so hot that at one point it caused firefighters to back out from the blaze. But after the fire was extinguished, what they found inside shocked them even more.

A post on the department’s Facebook page explains: “In your mind, everything should be burned, ashes. [But] not a single Bible was burned and not a single cross was harmed!! Not a single firefighter was hurt!” Photo evidence showed several compelling photos of Bibles unscathed amidst plenty of charred remains.

“Though the odds were against us, God was not,” the firefighters added. (Gianluca Mezzofiore, “A devastating fire burned a church down. Not a single Bible was touched by the flames” CNN, 3-5-19; www.PreachingToday.com)

That’s a picture of the power of God’s Word. No matter the fire, it remains. God WILL keep His promises no matter the opposition. So when opposition comes, don’t quit. Just remember the promises of God and persevere. Then…