When The Well Runs Dry
Revelation 2:1-6
More than twenty years ago a young man entered college. It wasn't just any
college - it was one of the most sterling examples of Christian education in
the nation, Wheaton College in Chicago, Illinois. The young man was deeply
in love with God and he wanted his life to matter for the Kingdom of God.
He became well versed in God's Word, excited about sharing all that he was
learning, and overwhelmed by what God was doing in his life and the lives of
others. The young man was so gripped by God that he decided to go to
seminary and further his Christian education preparing for the ministry.
The young man enrolled in seminary in Enid, Oklahoma and began his
theological studies. He and another young seminary student named Larry
Jones, who now heads up the Feed the Children ministry here in Oklahoma
City, were convinced that all people needed to hear the Word of God. They
truly believed that people needed Jesus more than anything in life.
Phillips Theological School was known as a more liberal seminary and the two
men became known as the "God Squad" because of their evangelical outlook on
life. They would teach Bible studies to undergraduate students, hold
weekend revivals in little towns around Enid, and pray continuously for an
outpouring of God's power and salvation upon the lives of people.
The young man finished his first three years of seminary and was preparing
for his final year before entering the ministry full-time. When his last
year of seminary began to unfold the young man encountered some difficulties
in his life that slowly took their toll upon his faith. The well of the
man's soul began to dry up until finally he lost his faith. He walked away
from his aspirations of being in ministry all together.
With the loss of his faith he began to try and do other things that
possibly could bring meaning and purpose to his life. He created a social
service agency that produced great results in meeting the needs of those who
were hurting in his community, but after years of this kind of work he still
felt empty. The well was dry. Eventually the man found himself sitting in
his living room floor all alone, wondering why he was even alive?
It was at that point that the man cried out to the God that he had tried to
not believe in, but whom he knew he desperately needed. The man said, "God,
I've tried not to believe in You, but if You are there I desperately need
You." Suddenly, the living room was flooded by the presence of Jesus in a
way that the man had never experienced before. He began to weep tears of
joy and his soul was flooded by the living waters of the Savior. The once
dried up well of the man's soul was now overflowing with the presence of the
Savior.
The man that I have been telling you about is not some fictional character
concocted in the mind of a preacher. Over the past two months I have come
to know John Mayfield as a wonderful man of faith, a man who has experienced
the dryness of the desert, but who is now experiencing the presence of our
Savior in a very real and powerful way.
I do not think that John's story is that much different than ours. Oh,
maybe you haven't walked away from your faith, maybe you haven't lost your
faith, but each of us has experienced those desert times when our soul is
dry and our eyes are wet with the tears of sorrow and emptiness.
What do you do when you find yourself dragging yourself through the desert?
Is there any hope of having your soul restored? Is there any hope of
experiencing living waters nurturing you and invigorating every fiber of
your being? Maybe you've come here today and you are in a desert right now.
You don't even know why you are here. You are uncertain if God even exists,
and even if He does, then why does He seem so distant, so removed?
I've got Good News for you today if you find that your well has run dry.
There is hope for you as I know from experience that God can bring forth
streams in the desert that will cause new life to begin to form in our
hearts and soul.
Before we try and understand how we can experience living waters flowing
into our dry and dusty souls, I want us to understand some of the reasons
why our well runs dry. There are many reasons that precipitate the dryness
that we sometimes experience, and I can't give you an exhaustive list, but
we can look at several of the reasons in the next few minutes.
Depression can drain our soul and leave us dry. The great prophet Elijah
can speak clearly and passionately to us about the draining effects of
depression. Elijah became so depressed that he sat down and said, "I have
had enough, Lord. Take my life." You need to know that it wasn't as if
Elijah's entire life had been characterized by bouts with depression. As a
matter of fact, Elijah had just hit a homerun as he had been used by God to
show the people that the false idols they had been serving were no gods at
all. After a great demonstration of God's power exhibited through Elijah,
the people joined in the chorus and shouted, "The Lord - He is God!" Shortly
after that Elijah went into a deep depression. Let's look at 1 Kings 19:1-5
to get a closer look.
1Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all
the prophets with the sword. 2So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say,
"May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow
I do not make your life like that of one of them." 3Elijah was afraid and
ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant
there, 4while he himself went a day's journey into the desert. He came to a
broom tree, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. "I have had
enough, LORD," he said. "Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors."
5Then he lay down under the tree and fell asleep. All at once an angel
touched him and said, "Get up and eat." (1 Kings 19:1-5)
Depression can come in an instant or it can grow over the course of months
and years, but either way depression will dry up the well of our soul and
leave us despondent. Depression can be brought about by many and various
experiences or feelings in life, death of a loved one, divorce, disease,
disappointment - all of these and more can bring on depression. Each of them
will drain us and leave us feeling dry and hollow.
Sin will cause our well to run to dry. It is not hard for us to make the
connection between depression and the weariness we feel when our soul runs
dry, but sin? How could sin cause the well to run dry? Especially in our
society where we do not believe in sin any longer? I had a person tell me
just a few weeks ago that they do not believe in sin. Oh really? What do
you call the degradation and despicable, devilish deeds that rob people of
life, joy, and fulfilling the potential that God has given them at birth?
David can tell us about the reality of sin's draining power on the human
soul. After David had committed adultery with Bathsheba, had her husband
killed to try and cover things up, and then went about his business like
nothing had happened - he couldn't. He couldn't explain it, but his energy
was sapped. He didn't know what was happening to him - he had "handled"
everything so that nobody would find out. David couldn't figure it out, but
he knew that when he lay down at night feelings of guilt and shame were his
bed partners. He couldn't get the image of Bathsheba's husband out of his
mind. His strength was being drained, his spirit was running dry, and his
mind would not, could not, find rest.
Later, after David had been found out, he wrote of his experience in Psalm
51. Let's take a look.
1 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to
your great compassion blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash away all my
iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. 3 For I know my transgressions, and my
sin is always before me. 4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done
what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and
justified when you judge. (Psalms 51:1-4)
"My sin is always before me." If you have ever done something, failed to
do something, said something, failed to say something, or even thought
something that you knew in your spirit was totally contradictory to God's
will then you know the power of David's words - "My sin is always before
me." We can try to get it out of our mind. We can work to work it out of
our system. We can excuse our actions all we want, but our sin is always
with us - draining us, drying up our soul.
Unmet expectations can take their toll on us and drain our soul. Have you
ever prepared yourself for a new venture that held great promise, or so you
thought? Maybe it was getting ready for your first date. Showing up for
work on your first day on the job. Welcoming your new child into your home.
Entering a new school for the first time. Beginning a new ministry that
excited you. All of these and more can cause us to become so excited and
enthused about the prospects of our finally finding something, someone, who
will bring us the happiness and fulfillment that we've longed for in life.
Without a doubt, every single time we get ourselves geared up for something
new it is always less than we expected once we get in on the action. It
doesn't matter what "it" is, if you place too high of an expectation on
"it", then "it" will never meet your expectations.
Sometimes, even in our relationship with God we have unmet expectations and
we find our well run dry. The Bible teaches us that God in unchangeable -
He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Yet, our understanding of
God, our expectations of Him, and our relationship with Him can change like
the shifting winds. If, when I become a follower of Jesus, I expect God to
make everything in my life perfect, then I am in for a long run on
disappointment. If I expect God to fix all of my foul-ups, then I am in for
a long run on disappointment. If I expect God to twitch His nose like
Samantha Stevens and give me a charmed life, then I am in for a long run on
disappointment.
We, who have been disappointed with God, are in good company. The great
prophet Jeremiah was very disappointed with God. God called Jeremiah to be
His man, to speak His Word, and to walk with God every day. Jeremiah and
God must have been on two different wavelengths. We can't really be sure
what Jeremiah expected out of the deal when God called him, but we do know
that there came a time in their relationship when Jeremiah's unmet
expectations caused him to explode at God. Take a look at Jeremiah 20:7-9.
7 LORD, you deceived me, and I was deceived; you overpowered me and
prevailed. I am ridiculed all day long; everyone mocks me. 8 Whenever I
speak, I cry out poclaiming violence and destruction. So the word of the
LORD has brought me insult and reproach all day long. 9 But if I say, "I
will not mention him or speak any more in his name," his word is in my heart
like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in;
indeed, I cannot. (Jeremiah 20:7-9)
Jeremiah had gotten a raw deal, according to him, when he signed on with
God's crew. Jeremiah was stuck between a rock and hard place because God's
Word burned in his bones, yet his soul was dry. He had lost his passion to
share the Word that had gripped him because of the ridicule and mockery that
it consistently brought upon him. Maybe you've felt the same way. You know
God, you've tasted of His power and mercy, and yet at this point in your
life, you feel like God has given you a raw deal. Your feelings are
draining your well and you know it.
Familiarity and complacency can drain the well of your soul. Jesus spoke
to the church in Ephesus and He said,
1"To the angel of the church in Ephesus write:These are the words of him who
holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden
lampstands: 2I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know
that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to
be apostles but are not, and have found them false. 3You have persevered and
have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. 4Yet I hold
this against you: You have forsaken your first love. 5Remember the height
from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If
you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its
place. 6But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the
Nicolaitans, which I also hate. (Revelation 2:1-6)
The problem of the believers in Ephesus is the problem that many of us in
ministry face. We become so busy doing the things of God that we forget
about God. We can continue running on empty, but sooner or later our
activity will result in our lives being brought to a grinding halt.
You can attend church every time the doors are open, do Bible study every
day, sing in the choir, pray at the Lord's Table, and lead a youth group and
still suffer from an empty soul. Nobody else may have a clue what is going
on with you, but you know deep inside that you are as dry as the Sahara.
Busyness can rob us of the life giving waters of Jesus that continually
replenish our souls if we are not careful.
It is much like the relationship we share with someone we love. Those of
us who are married run a very real risk of becoming too familiar with our
spouse. I remember when Connie and I first started dating. I wanted
desperately to be with her and when I wasn't with her I had to talk to her.
We talked on the phone. We went out on dates. We, sometimes would just sit
and be with one another, enjoying the moment together.
Connie and I have been married sixteen years now and we have to battle
becoming too familiar with one another. I hope you understand what I mean
by "too familiar." If I assume that Connie will be always be there, if I
take her love for granted, and approach our conversations to casually then
we can easily lose touch.
The risk that Connie and I run is the same risk that all of us face in our
relationship with God. The Ephesians were so busy doing for God that they
forgot to take time to enjoy God and His presence. Sooner or later this
approach will drain us dry.
I could go on with many more draining facets of life that will leave us
running on empty and knowing that the well of our soul has run dry, but time
does not permit. At this point we need to refocus our attention on some
ways that we can experience the fresh flowing, life-giving waters of Jesus
rejuvenating us, replenishing us, and renewing us day-to-day.
When we find ourselves running on empty and souls dry and weary then the
first and last thing that we need to do is:
We need to cry out to God. When I say, "cry out" I mean exactly that my
friends. When the well of your soul and mine becomes so empty that our
hands hang down and our whole life is downcast then we will, in desperation,
cry out for God's help.
When David realized the depth of the dryness of his soul he cried out in
need to God and God heard his cry. David wrote in Psalm 51,
10Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. 12
Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to
sustain me. 13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will
turn back to you. 14 Save me from bloodguilt, O God, the God who saves me,
and my tongue will sing of your righteousness. 15 O Lord, open my lips, and
my mouth will declare your praise. 16 You do not delight in sacrifice, or I
would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. 17 The
sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God,
you will not despise. (Psalms 51:10-17)
The Psalmist, in Psalm 88, cries out to God in the midst of his weariness
when he says,
1 O LORD, the God who saves me, day and night I cry out before you. 2 May my
prayer come before you; turn your ear to my cry. 3 For my soul is full of
trouble and my life draws near the grave. 4 I am counted among those who go
down to the pit; I am like a man without strength. 5 I am set apart with
the dead, like the slain who lie in the grave, whom you remember no more,
who are cut off from your care. 6 You have put me in the lowest pit, in the
darkest depths. 7 Your wrath lies heavily upon me; you have overwhelmed me
with all your waves. Selah 8 You have taken from me my closest friends and
have made me repulsive to them. I am confined and cannot escape; 9 my eyes
are dim with grief. I call to you, O LORD, every day; I spread out my hands
to you. (Psalms 88:1-9)
It is not just those of biblical days that have confessed the dryness of
their souls and cried out to God. The great musician and singer wrote a
song more than twenty years ago called, "My Eyes Are Dry." Keith says,
My eyes are dry
My faith is old
My heart is hard
My prayers are cold
And I know how I ought to be
Alive to You and dead to me
But what can be done
For an old heart like mine
Soften it up
With oil and wine
The oil is You, Your Spirit of love
Please wash me anew
With the wine of Your Blood
And just a few months ago, a man sitting in his living room floor
acknowledged that his well had run dry and cried out to God. God heard his
cry and answered with His grace. Today I want to give you an opportunity to
cry out to God. You know that your well has run dry and that life has
escaped you. You would like to do something about it and you can - cry out
to God and He will answer.
If you have never asked Jesus to come into your heart and be your Savior
then I would invite you to cry out to Him and ask Him to come into your
heart at this very moment and allow His living waters to fill your well to
overflowing.
Mike Hays
Britton Christian Church
922 NW 91st
Oklahoma City, OK. 73114
