Drink, Drink.

Drink, Drink!  I've heard it a number of times throughout the day.  During my trip in fact, I've heard it so many times that it has become similar to a pavlovian response mechanism.  I hear the word drink and I reach for my water bottle.  Everywhere we go, we begin to realize that water is a precious commodity.  The abundance of water in the US has made me complacent and it has become yet another thing I take for granted.  Now I've been in other areas where water is important, but normally that's because it isn't safe to drink from the tap.  The water here is safe to drink, there just isn't much of it available.  Conserving water is a must and pursuing it is a necessity.  The spiritual parallel of this is not lost on me.

Isaiah 35 talks about the fact that blind will see, but it also says that "waters will break forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert."  All of these are said in relation to Jesus and the work that he did and will do.  Having seen the wilderness, it is absolutely stunning, but there is no water to be found.  It is dry and hot and the hills and mountains block the rain from making it to this area.

How many times have I found myself in the wilderness?  How many times have I been searching and looking for God's provision, but only to find nothing but rocks and dirt?  It seems to happen frequently and I'm often left spiritually dehydrated repeating the psalmist, "my soul thirsts and even faints for you."

There is another side to this, however.  After hearing those words "drink, drink" we all made our way into Hezekiah's tunnel.  It was built during the invasion of Sennacherib who was trying to seize Jerusalem.  Hezekiah realizing that his water source was outside the wall dug a tunnel from the Gihon Spring to inside the walls of Jerusalem.  The tunnel is 1/3 a mile long and cuts through the bedrock.  The diggers dug from both ends and met somewhere in the middle.  It is an absolutely remarkable story and to this day, nobody is entirely sure how they were able to do it.  One thing is certain, however,  Hezekiah and the men of Israel went to extreme measures to have a source of water closer to them.  I think there is much to learn from this.  So often I am stuck in that wilderness and almost wallowing in my position.  Despite feeling the dryness of the wilderness or the groanings of my own soul, my efforts in pursuing the Living Water are meager at best.  May we begin to listen to our soul's longings.  May we recognize our great need for the Living Water.  May we listen to His voice when he says, "Drink.  Drink."