“Joyfully you'll pull up buckets of water from the wells of salvation.
And as you do it, you'll say, "Give thanks to God.
Call out his name. Ask him anything!
Shout to the nations, tell them what he's done, spread the news of his great reputation!” Isaiah 12:3-4 (The message)
Oh how I love this image of pulling buckets of water from the well of salvation. I can feel the joy stirring up within me as I read these words and remember that this promised has come to be through the precious blood of Jesus. So what is the response of this glittery excitement within me? To shout it out and proclaim this well spring of good news to all people in all nations! I want to make His name great in all I do no matter how big or small it is.
I am feeling a bit reprimanded the last couple of days…..realizing that I have just let things of the day overtake me and my joy being crushed under burdens, tiredness and negative thinking.
It is vital to come back to the cross, and to drink into the glorious freedom that is found in God’s tremendous sacrifice. We all know that trouble is coming, or it may already be present in our lives – but there is a place of rest, a shoulder to lean on, an anchor in the storm. And when we finally turn and fix our eyes on Jesus what a joy we will find again as we begin to relies that He is our hope and He is with us each step of the way. Doesn’t that thought stir up a bubbling excitement?
So, I have made up my mind to surrender it all and find my joy at the foot of the cross. To saturate myself in the blessings found there rather than letting things of this life overtake me. I know it will not be easy to do at times, and I will need regular wakeup calls and nudges to turn my eyes to what is truly my hope and one joy in life.
I remember the thought that someone shared about the purpose of God calling us out of our comfort zone. It was because "we are too stubborn to learn where we are". Yep, I'm super stubborn, so maybe that is one of the reason God called me to Cambodia - not for me to change the nation here, but for Him to change me! For Him to chip away at my stoney stubborn heart and release the treasure that He has placed within.
