WHEN THE WELL RUNS DRY
JOHN 4:10
In the book A View From the Zoo, Gary Richmond tells about the birth of a giraffe:
The first thing top emerge are the baby giraffe's front hooves and head. A few minutes later the little newborn is hurled forth, falls ten feet, and lands on it's back.
Within seconds, he rolls to an upright position with his legs tucked under his body. And from this position he considers the world for the first time and shakes off the last remains of the birthing fluid from his eyes and ears.
The mother giraffe lowers her head long enough to take a quick look. Then she positions herself directly over her calf. She waits about a minute, and then she does the most unreasonable thing...She swings her long leg outward and kicks her baby, so that it is sent sprawling head over heels.
When it doesn't get up, the violent process is repeated over and over again. The struggle to rise is momentous. As the baby calf grows tired, the mother kicks it again to stimulate its efforts...Finally the calf stands for the first time on its wobbly legs.
Then the mother giraffe does the most remarkable thing...She kicks it off its feet again. Why? She wants it to remember how it got up. In the wild, baby giraffes must be able to get up as quickly as possible to stay with the herd where there is safety.
Lions, hyenas, leopards and other predators all enjoy eating young giraffes, and they'd get it too if the mother didn't teach her calf to get up quickly and get with it.
As this baby giraffe found out LIFE CAN BE TOUGH...and all of us face the inevitable time when life just plain gets difficult. At these times discouragement takes hold of us...our judgments are impaired...our self esteem is hanging in the balance. The well has run dry and there seems to be no refreshment for us.
What are we to do then? In the fourth chapter of John, Jesus has something to say about this...**Jesus talking with the Samaritan woman at the well...READ v. 10...v. 13 14.
Here Jesus clearly says that to those who yield themselves to Him...He will bring something which will be like a living fountain of waters... a fountain that will never run dry.
Wouldn't it be great to find a spring or fountain like this? Wouldn't it be great if we could find something that would give us the strength and the stamina to fill us up and give us life...to keep us moving on in a powerful, dynamic way...instead of just barely surviving?
That is exactly what Jesus has promised us. And this morning I want to try, in simple language, to show what this immeasurable well can be to us...because I find that so many people are coming to a place where they need to understand that we are not out there alone...
that even in the midst of difficult and trying circumstances God has given us all we need to be victorious...to be overcomers. When the well runs dry and the resources for living seem to have failed us... we can look beyond ourselves and our circumstances and move into a greater perspective.
It's almost funny how we worry and suffer because of our outlook and perceptions. Years ago a Scotsman arrived in Liverpool where he was to leave by ship for America. The man had very limited funds, and he decided that he would economize on food during the trip so he would have more money when he reached New York.
So he went to a small store and bought a good supply of crackers and cheese that would get him through the days at sea. But as the trip went on the sea air made him very hungry. And to make matters worse, the dampness of the air made his crackers soft and his cheese hard. He was almost desperate with hunger.
What really done him in was the fragrant whiff of food on a tray a steward was carrying to another passenger. Right then he made up his mind that he would have one good meal, even though it would take several of his shillings.
So he waited until the steward returned and asked him how much it would cost to go to the dining room and get a dinner. He asked the Scotsman if he had a ticket for the passage, and was shown his ticket for passage on the ship.
When the steward saw it he responded by saying that the meals were included in the price of the ticket. He could have gone to the dining room and eaten as much as he liked every meal time.
Sounds kind of foolish...but spiritually we often fall into the same scenario. When we find ourselves in difficult situations we often limit our vision to the problem...not the help and the resources that are ours as Christians.
One thing we need to understand is that when life becomes difficult... when the well runs dry...when live barely seems worth living...we need to remember that life is not so much a road to happiness as it is a road to opportunity.
You see, whatever difficulties we may encounter..whatever frustrations wee may face...it is almost always because we feel we have been cheated out of happiness. Isn't that true? ....But what is happiness?
Happiness is something that we create within ourselves. It comes out of some deep inner satisfaction...out of our own self respect and our own integrity and the knowledge that we have done well...and that all is well.
But happiness is not life's gift to us. Opportunity is...that is what life gives us opportunity. Happiness is our gift to life. Once we find that life is a road to opportunity and spiritual achievements are right there in front of us...everything about us can become the source of things that truly last...things that satisfy...things that matter!
The problem is that we fail to see the opportunities...we only see the difficulties. When the well runs dry and life gets tough we should consider how others have lived through such times.
"But no one could possibly understand what I'm going through!" Have you ever said that to yourself or maybe to others? When the tough times hit we always seem to think that our situation is unique...that no one else could possibly have had so much...song.."Nobody knows the trouble I've seen"
But that is nothing but just plain silly. Because others !have„Ç suffered like we've suffered...and others do understand what we go through. The road we're on is not quite as lonely as you may think...others have walked that same road before.
And in our times of need we need to look up and realize that...but it is something we find so hard to see. What we do see is a division... where we divide mankind into two classes of people: the happy and the unhappy.
The happy are those who are fortunate. They have everything going for them...the fulfillment of their desires...many of life's possessions.. the satisfaction of their wants...they have success.
The unhappy of this world are the unfortunate ones who seem to be forgotten by the world...the poor...the physically or emotionally impaired or imperfect...the "unsuccessful"...those who fail to achieve some T.V. version of what life and family are to be like.
But just how real are all those distinctions? They defy all truth and all experience. But yet somehow we are drawn into a warped sense of what life is all about. We judge our lives and our experiences by a false standard...and it causes us tremendous grief spiritually as well as every other way.
Are we to deny that much of what we face in life is hard...or wrong... or hurtful..or unfair? Of course not. But we are to look to those who have faced the trials and difficulties of life and didn't just merely survive by the skin of their teeth but came through victorious!
What about the Apostle Paul...he was not one of the fortunate. He was poor...in fact many times he hardly knew where his next meal would come from. He was repeatedly ridiculed and beaten...and talk about bad luck...he was shipwrecked, bitten by snakes, lied about, stoned and left for dead.
He was shunned and bad mouthed by the very people he loved and tried to help (Corinthians)...and we could go on and on. But what kind of man was Paul...even in the midst of an entire life of trouble?
He was victorious...and happy...he was a real nutso who rejoiced even after a good whooping and imprisonment.
And what about Jesus...he wasn't one of the fortunate ones either. He had as a constant companion people who set out to tear Him down...pick Him apart, and destroy Him. He lived a life that was covered with thorns...and at the end He knew was a horribly cruel cross. He was, according to Isaiah, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.
And yet He was the very one who gave hope to mankind...who brought joy and peace to so many who came in contact with Him. He was victorious...and yes, even happy.
You see, there is something redeeming about looking at others who have walked such difficult roads...men who found their well running dry. As we think of that we can agree with the author of Hebrews who said:
"Let us also, seeing we are encompassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, lay aside every weight, and the sin that does so easily beset us...and let us run with patience the race that is set before us."
When the well runs dry and life becomes difficult, let us think of Jesus. Can you remember some of the words He said...like, "Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour. But for this cause I came into this hour."
If we could just think and understand how He found Himself in practically every circumstance that we find ourselves in...maybe not each specific detail...but we read in the Scriptures that He was tempted in every way...just like we are.
And each situation that you find yourself in is merely an opportunity for you to let the grace of God, the mercy of God, the wisdom of God, and the power of God to be shown through you to those around.
When the well runs dry and living becomes difficult...we need to grow silent so that we can hear God speak to us to give us the answers...to give us direction...to show us the way.
In those moments of life when we are aggravated...and when we have a bitter attitude about something or someone...when life seems to be twisted what do we do? We talk!
We state our case to any and all who will listen. We plead our case.. we speak of all the injustices and the wrongs we have to endure...... And as long as we talk, there is no hope for us. The well stays dry.
But it is then that God comes and He says, "Be still, and know that I am God!" And if we just listen, the well will once again begin to flow.
How is it with you? Do you ever get still long enough to hear God? We can't live as we were meant to...we can't give to others...we can't stay on the road until we hear that voice...
But if we will listen, I believe we will hear Him say, "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest."
In the Philippines the driver of a carabao wagon was on his way to market when he passed by an old man carrying a heavy load. Having compassion for him, the driver invited the old man to ride in the wagon. Gratefully the old man accepted.
After a few minutes, the driver turned to see how the old man was doing. To his surprise, he found him still straining under the heavy weight, because he had not taken the burden off his shoulders.
So often this is exactly what we do. But Christ offers rest to all who will trust Him completely...cast all our cares on Him, and let Him lead us in the way we need to go.
If you have a heavy load this morning...Jesus is right here, waiting for you to allow Him to lift that burden and give you rest...if you'll only give Him the chance........
