The Watering Hole

Isaiah 58:11 – The Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy your soul in drought, and strengthen your bones; you shall be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail. (NKJV)

The bird bath, in our backyard, attracts a lot of wildlife. Sitting outside on a warm fall day, I watched in fascination as a wasp gently landed on the edge of the birdbath and began drinking the water. I'd never seen this before. Then another wasp joined it, and another, and "Oh, my goodness!" Pretty soon there were many, many more! My fascination turned to mild alarm at so many of these "ornery" insects so close to me. There had to be a nest close by, and they had found a refreshing spring in our garden.

Sin or wrongs can be a little like that. One by one, they enter our lives, initially not attracting our attention: turning a blind eye here, having a lax attitude there, letting one rule after another be bent, and changing a few morals from good to bad. But a day comes when we are suddenly aware of how many we have allowed into our lives. We've permitted sins to multiply one by one, until we're a welcome watering hole for them.

Psalm 51:1-2 – Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. (NIV)

Sometimes, multiplied sins can mount up until they cause us to realize how far we have strayed from God, and we return to Him in repentance. Other times, they can cause such trouble that they lead us to a place of despair. Nobody can help or is willing to listen, and we are left trying to decide how we can go on — what do we do next? The day will come when we realize that we have nowhere else to go but to God. Only God can guide us. We can be assured that if we will only ask Him in prayer for His help and ask Him to guide all that we think, say, and do, we will experience a refreshing in our hearts and spirits, that only He can give. He will bring us to His "watering hole" of truth and right-living — the Bible. He will let us know where we have gone wrong, and what we need to do about it — advice that can be found only in the Bible — if we will only trust the words it holds. For us, it is a watering place where we will find comfort and sustenance for our dried-up spirits.

Prayer: Father God, may we come to You and only You for our refreshing. May we be wise in where and how we meet our internal needs, because to choose unwisely will lead us to external disquiet and trouble. Amen.