“When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue is parched with thirst, I the LORD will answer them; I the God of Israel will not forsake them. I will open rivers on the bare heights, and fountains in the midst of the valleys. I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water.”
– Isaiah 41:17-18
Main Thought: Here in these verses of Isaiah 41, we find pictured a people who are in need of water in a wilderness, and there is none, and they are parched and perhaps about to die of thirst. I am reminded of after the delivery of Israel from Egypt, the people of God were wandering and soon became thirsty in the wilderness and complained against Moses, and God provided them water out of a rock (Ex. 17:1-7). However, I believe here in Isaiah’s passage that the application is more for those who are thirsty for God and thirsty in a spiritual sense. Some thirsty souls are those who have known His presence but are now thirsting to know the presence and the power of God again, and they are crying out to Him as David did in Psalm 42:2 when he says “My soul thirsts for God, for the living God,” for a fresh outpouring of God upon their souls. Perhaps this is a lost soul who cries out to God for the “spiritual water” of the Spirit of God which brings life and refreshment that they have never known, much like the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well in Samaria. Jesus told her at the well that “everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again” (John 4:13-14). Later on in that passage, we are told she left her water jar and went and told others about this One that she had met (John 4:28-30). What happened to her that made her leave the jar behind? The great need, the great thirsting of her soul, was now satisfied because the water of eternal life had been poured upon her dry and dead soul; the Spirit of God was poured out upon her (Isa. 44:3). The idea conveyed here is not only will our God hear our cry initially but He will continually supply our need and provide us rest and refreshment in the midst of a spiritual wilderness and wasteland. Notice here the “I wills” of God; it is a promise of God that those who call upon Him for this water are heard and He will give them this life, this eternal spring of life that will always satisfy. In John 6:35, our Lord promises that “whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” We may have times when we are isolated in the barrenness of this world, but the God who hears our cries will continue to refresh us through the spiritual water of His Spirit and the Word of God. In Psalm 23, David reminds us that our God, even through the most difficult of times will continue to lead us “beside still waters” and give us a cup that “overflows” with refreshment from God. Are you parched and thirsty in your soul? Do you desire, as the Samaritan woman, the water of life that can only come from our Lord? Then call upon Him, and certainly He will open rivers and fountains and springs, and pour upon you the water of eternal life and eternal satisfaction.
David Webber
David Webber is married to Mary with four children and four grandchildren, and serves as the Pastor of Faith Baptist Church in Longview, TX. He obtained a BS in History from the University of Texas at Tyler, TX, and pursued studies at Baptist Missionary Association Theological Seminary in Jacksonville, TX. Throughout his ministry, he has been an invited preacher and educator in numerous churches and various Bible conferences. Surrendering to the gospel ministry’s calling in 1972 at the age of 16, he received preaching licensure from Little Flock Baptist Church in Longview, Texas, in 1974. Graduating with a Bachelor of Science Degree in History from the University of Texas at Tyler in 1978, he was ordained in December of 1980 by Faith Baptist Church. Following this, he contributed his services to Faith Baptist in Longview and subsequently engaged with Grace Baptist Church in Tyler, Texas, where he instructed Sunday School and delivered sermons as needed. In February of 1994, Faith Baptist invited him to lead as their pastor, a role he has faithfully held to the present day. David writes a blog for the church website and is a writer for The Art of Worship.
More from David Webber
2 Corinthians 8:9
“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.” – 2 Corinthians 8:9
Job 14:1-2
“Man who is born of a woman is few of days and full of trouble. He comes out like a flower and withers; he flees like a shadow and continues not.” – Job 14:1-2
1 Corinthians 1:30-31
“And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, ‘Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” – 1 Corinthians 1:30-31
Proverbs 28:13
“Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.” – Proverbs 28:13
Psalm 119:41-42
“Let your steadfast love come to me, O LORD, your salvation according to your promise; then shall I have an answer for him who taunts me.” – Psalm 119:41-42
Psalm 86:9
“All the nations you have made shall come and worship before you, O Lord, and shall glorify your name.” – Psalm 86:9 (ESV)
2 Corinthians 4:3-4
“And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” – 2 Corinthians 4:3-4 (ESV)