Read Isaiah 55:1-7
“Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price” (v. 1).
I had the privilege of growing up on a farm. Each summer we would put up several hundred bales of hay to feed to the cattle during the long winter months. My job usually entailed moving the hay from the wagon onto the elevator to be carried up to the haymow. It seemed we always baled on the hottest days of the year, and I remember seeing the poor guys working the mow come crawling out with sweat streaming down their faces and hay dust clinging all over them. They looked miserable! I watched as they rinsed off at the water spigot. Then Grandma would say, “How about some fresh lemonade?” As the cool refreshing drink washed down their throats, it seemed like it washed away the misery with it, and I saw smiles come back to their faces again. My job was not nearly as rigorous as theirs, but Grandma gave me some of that wonderful lemonade, too.
Now, as a preacher of the gospel, I have the remarkable privilege of offering a drink of living water to the wretched, miserable souls I meet along life’s road. I love to watch the despair melt away as the love of Jesus washes over their souls and in its place comes the sweet countenance of joy. (Daniel Edwards)
Oh, I have found it, the Crystal Fountain,
Where all my life’s deep needs have been supplied;
So freely flowing from Calv’ry’s mountain,
And now my soul is fully satisfied.
— Floyd W. Hawkins
Thirsty? There is living water for all!
This is the Tuesday, November 4, 2014 devotional reading of Opening the Word.
Photo credit: "Porteau Cove Provincial Park *" by Kyla Duhamel used under CC BY 2.0 / Resized, cropped, text added.