Human bones are around
22% water. Normally, bones are slightly flexible or else we’d experience a lot
more breaks than we do. Once a person dies, the water begins to evaporate and
the bones become dry and brittle. I think perhaps a similar process may happen
in the human spirit at times. Without regular infusions of the Living Water, we
become dry and brittle and lose the resiliency we would otherwise have.
When Ezekiel had his vision of
the valley of dry bones in chapter 37, after they were resurrected and breath
returned to them, they still said, “Our bones are dried up, and our hope is
lost; we are indeed cut off” (v. 11). Having physical life is not enough to
restore hope, but they need the Spirit and the promises of the Lord, and so do
we.
I wonder if the man at the Pool
of Bethesda (John 5) was “dried out”? He’d been an invalid for 38 years and
apparently had spent most of his life laying there waiting for a chance to be
healed. But when Jesus showed up, He had to ask “Do you want to be healed?” It
seems like the man had lost hope and all he had left were excuses. The
Samaritan woman at the well (John 4) was another person who was dried up and
seeking water. Jesus introduced Himself as the Living Water that would fill her
real needs. It’s funny how both these people were seeking something more than
the physical water that was readily available.
We’ve probably all had some dry
times, when life beats you up or knocks you down, when it seems like you’re at
the bottom of a well with no way to climb out. At least a couple folks in
Scripture found themselves literally at the bottom of the well—Joseph and
Jeremiah. I think we can learn a few things from them.1) They didn’t get out of
those wells on their own. They had to be lifted out. 2) God knew exactly where
they were and used their circumstances for His own good. 3) They didn’t get
transported directly to the mountaintop. Their lives still had a lot of ups and
downs after the well. We face the same issues.
1) We need help to get us out of
whatever well we may be in. That help may come in many forms—encouragement,
prayer, physical aid, wise counsel, healing, etc. Whatever the case, it
certainly looks like human help is essential. Rarely does God intervene by
miraculous means without using people in the process.
2) Our circumstances are never a
surprise to God. He knows where we are, how we got there, how we’ll get out,
and how He’s going to use it for His ultimate glory. This is one hope we can
cling to when all seems lost. We probably won’t know all those answers right
away and we don’t need to. God’s grace is sufficient for wells, storms, and
thorns (2 Cor. 12:9).
Ultimately, our hope, peace, and
joy must be rooted in the faith that God is who He says He is and that His promises
are true. That faith is strengthened by the Word of God and by the Body of
Christ. We need regular filling with both to keep us watered and growing and to
keep us from drying out and blowing away.
If you’re feeling dried up and
hopeless, maybe you need to look at your source of water and see if it is
Living Water or just an imitation. “Whoever drinks of the water that I give him
will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him
a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (John 4:14).
