With Joy Give Thanks – April 15, 2023

Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The LORD, the LORD, is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation. With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. In that day you will say: “Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name.”
Isaiah 12:2-4

With Joy Give Thanks

When I think of drawing water out of a well, I usually don’t associate that with joy. I’ve never actually done it myself, but it looks hard. A gallon of milk gets heavy very quickly if I decide to not use a shopping cart. In comparison, pulling the dead weight of a ten-gallon bucket of water out of the ground doesn’t sound like a lot of fun; that sounds like work. Hard work!

But the prophet Isaiah tells us that we will draw water with joy. He tells us about a well that is not a burden to draw from. It’s the well of salvation. From the well of salvation, we draw water that brings real and lasting joy. That’s because we are drawing living water. We draw the life-giving water of God’s Word.

Do you ever go a day without drinking water? It’s pretty hard to do, especially if you are outside spending time in the sun. You need water, and you would never think of going without it for very long. But sometimes we treat the living water of God’s Word as if it is somehow less important, less needed. Sometimes we go days and weeks without stopping at the well of God’s Word for a nourishing drink. Often, we treat our bodies with more care than our souls.

But there is a treatment for that sin. It’s the living water. Go back to the well of God’s Word and receive forgiveness. Drink up a tall glass of his grace. Drink deeply from it, and be refreshed with the satisfaction that the living water God offers is your salvation. Trust in him and do not be afraid because of everything Jesus has accomplished for you by his life, death, and resurrection. Through your Savior, you will spend eternity with your Lord in the glories of heaven. There you will sing with Isaiah. There you will say every day with a praise-filled heart and voice: “Give thanks to the LORD.”

Prayer:
Thank you, Lord, for refreshing my soul through these moments in your Word. As you care for my physical needs, support me in my spiritual journey, until I join you in paradise. Amen.