Isaiah 12:1-3 – Drink and be refreshed

Well, holiday season is fast approaching

and perhaps you are already counting

down the days or counting down the weeks

until you get there. A few years ago, we

were lucky enough to visit Spain and uh

we' never been to Spain before. Uh no,

we have been once, but it was a very

different part of Spain. So, this was a

very breathtaking place. The scenery was

amazing. The food was delicious. And the

weather was hot.

It was very hot. It was too hot. Um, one

day we visited this lake and we wanted

to explore. We were with another family.

Uh, but after walking for about 10

minutes, we couldn't go on. It was just

too much. We needed shade. We needed

cool water. We felt like we were

overheating.

If we just ignored that and carried on,

I'm sure some of our group would have

fallen ill. It was just too hot. We

needed refreshment. And it's similar in

our Christian lives. We are in a harsh

environment. There is real spiritual

heat, real spiritual danger. And if we

are just going to try and press on to

make sure, if we're just going to press

on without rehydrating, we will run into

difficulty.

We need to make sure we are spiritually

hydrated and refreshed. Otherwise, we'll

end up as shriveled holy husks.

And this is always a danger for

believers. We think we can just carry

on. We can get on with life. We can do

all the things that cry out for our

attention. You know, we can get the kids

to uh school and then to their clubs. We

can cook the meals. We can do the

washing. We can get to work. We can

clean the house. We can play on our

phones. We can do all those things we

want to and then we get to the next day

and we just do it again and again and

again without taking the time or making

the time

for our own spiritual refreshment.

And then we wonder why we struggle.

We wonder why spiritually why do I feel

so dry and lifeless?

Why does the Lord seem so distant from

me? Why does my once vibrant faith

feel so faint?

This passage gives us the answer. We

need to be drawing water from the wells

of salvation

because it's unwise to just try and push

on with life without drinking deeply of

our God and all that he has provided.

So, we're taking this week and next week

to explore this chapter together. And

it's my prayer that if you've lost your

way, this will point you back to the

place of blessing and refreshment. And

even if you haven't lost your way, that

this will refresh you and help you keep

on going. So, we've spoken about a well,

and we need to think about what that is

and uh where that is. And so, our first

point this morning is seek out the

wells. Seek out the wells.

So just to give us some context here,

chapters 1 to 10 of Isaiah, they're warn

of a coming judgment on Judah and

Jerusalem because of the injustice that

was going on amongst them and the pride

and the idolatry that was there. Uh and

their difficult times, difficult times

are ahead. And then we get to chapter 11

and we see that that won't be the end

for them. Being taken into exile is not

going to be the end for them. For there

is a new chute, a new king, one who

walks in the ways of the Lord, who

practices righteousness, and he will

bring restoration to Israel, not only

for her, but also for all nations. Um,

it's a prophecy that points to God

delivering his people and he would bring

them out of exile, but it's a prophecy

that points far beyond just the return

from exile. It it points to the Messiah,

to Jesus. This is chapter 11. And all

Isaiah 11 · chapter mention

that he will achieve. And then we get to

our our passage in chapter 12. And that

flows out from that promise of a a

deliverer, a messiah. And it flows out

from that hope and deliverance.

And it's a well, it's really divided

into two songs this chapter. Two songs.

And they start with the same line. So

look at verse one. You'll see how that

starts. You will say in that day. And

then in verse four, you get the second

one introduced by the same thing. And

you will say in that day, and they both

uh pivot around verse three,

with joy, you will draw water from the

wells of salvation.

So that's the sort of central theme to

it all.

This is the key to Christian thriving

as the way to keep going even when times

are hard. It's the way to keep a

ministry alive and vibrant. It's the way

to keep our spiritual lives healthy. We

draw water from the wells of salvation.

So what are these wells of salvation?

Well, if you look at verse two, the

beginning of verse two, behold, God is

my salvation.

Then at the end of verse two, and he God

has become my salvation.

So our salvation

is God himself.

And we see this worked out in Jesus and

what he did on the cross. So to draw

from the wells of salvation is to draw

upon God himself and all that he has

done for us and all that he's given us

in Christ.

Now another question we might ask of

this is why does he speak in the plural?

Why is it wells

are not well of salvation?

Surely this can't mean there are many

different wells, many different ways to

be saved to find salvation.

We know as Jesus himself says in John

John 14:6

14:6, I am the way and the truth and the

life. No one comes to the father except

through me. So it's pretty exclusive.

But what it means is that our experience

of God and our drawing upon him is not

just a one-time event.

We need to continue to draw upon God

throughout our lives.

Thinking back to our Spanish holidays,

um it wasn't enough that we had a drink

before we left our accommodation. When

the sun is hot and the temperature is

very high, you need another drink and

another drink and another drink. It's

like in a hot country, it just seems to

be where's my next drink coming from?

That's the thing. You know, where's the

next cafe? Where's the next well? As it

might be, you know, in in Isaiah's days,

that would be a major concern. Where is

the next water source? We'll stock up

here, but we need to know where the next

place is. And our Christian life is a

journey.

We don't just look back and say, "Well,

I got saved in 1982 and that's that's

all I need of God. You know, I'm okay.

That's that's me sorted. That one thing,

that one time thing." Just because we

have been saved, it doesn't mean that is

the end of our journey of salvation.

So, Ephesians chapter 2:5,

by grace you have been saved. That's in

the past tense. It's something that has

happened. You have been saved if you're

in Christ.

There was a time you went from being

unsaved to saved. You didn't know God.

Now you do. Your sins weren't forgiven.

Now they are forgiven. But the Bible

also speaks about our salvation as

something that is current. It is still

happening. So 1 Corinthians chapter

1:18, for the word of the cross is folly

to those who are perishing, but to us

who are being saved,

it is the power of God. So we have been

saved and yet the Bible speaks about us

being saved. It's an ongoing process.

It's still being worked out.

And then Paul in Romans chapter 13:1

halfway through he says, "For salvation

is nearer to us now than when we first

believed." So when you first believed,

that's when you got saved. But our

salvation is still pictured as something

in the future. It's it's nearer to us

now than when we first believed. Do you

see? So it's it's in the future there.

Romans chapter 5:9 and 10 speaks about a

salvation in the future. The completion

of our salvation is yet to come. Now,

we're not what we were, but we're not

what we shall be.

So, we still struggle with sin.

We still don't love the Lord as we

should. But there is a day when that

will be completed.

And even today, the Lord is at work in

us changing us towards that day when it

will be completed.

So, we were saved. We are being saved

and we will be saved. Now, just to be

clear, we are justified.

That is to be declared right before God

once and for all. That has happened.

That is done and dusted. But there is

more to our salvation than, dare I say

it, just justification.

Our salvation includes all God has done,

all he's given us, all he's doing in us,

all he has promised. So since we are

still being saved, we're not done yet.

We need to be seeking out these wells of

salvation, seeking out a constant supply

of grace and refreshment and help from

the Lord. This is an ongoing process

seeking from these wells of refreshment.

So how do we seek these wells of

salvation? First of all, we need to

practice regular discipline.

So,

you need to plan

to meet with the Lord.

If you wait until you've got a spare bit

of time, it's unlikely to happen. But if

we prioritize it, if we plan for it to

happen, it's much more likely to happen.

Every now and again, we'll get a

takeaway and it's always a toss up,

isn't it? Should we go for a curry or

Chinese or fish and chips? And I'll take

any of those to be honest. I mean, we've

got some lovely food coming up

afterwards, but you know, I love

takeaways as well. Um, but sometimes you

have to go and pick them up. Sometimes

they get delivered to your door and it's

usually a last minute thing. We're going

to get a takeaway. So, by the time you

get it, you've picked it up, you've

waited, and it's got there. You got the

food in your hands, you're usually

pretty hungry. Well, I am anyway. You

know, your mouth's been watering. You

could smell it. It's there. You know,

you walk in the door and I'll be honest,

at that moment as I walk in the door,

there's not a lot that's going to get

between me and my food, right? I might

wash my hands. I might grab a drink, but

if someone starts faffing about, I'm

like, "What are you doing? The food's

here. Let's eat." You know,

there's a hunger, there's an

anticipation, a desire, a need. It's got

to be important to get in the way. And

how much more important should it be

that when we come to meet with the Lord,

how much more of a priority should

should it be when I think I need to meet

with my Lord. That is my priority. That

is my goal. That is what needs to happen

here.

We need him.

We need him. And we don't just need him.

We should want him as well. Sometimes

our Bible times and our prayer times can

feel a little bit like it's just another

job to do, another thing to squeeze into

a busy day.

But verse three shows it it shouldn't be

hopefully not seen so much as a job, but

a joy. Shouldn't be a job. It should be

a joy. You see what he says in there?

With joy you will draw water from the

wells of salvation. And to be sure it

can be hard work. There is drawing of

water to be done. Perhaps some heavy

lifting involved. It can feel like a

struggle sometimes. It can require

perseverance and sacrifice. Sacrificing

other things. But if you know at the end

of it, it's going to be worth it. It's a

joy, isn't it?

It could be like that if you you do some

exercise or you go for a walk. Maybe

you're not always in the mood, but

usually afterwards you go, "Well, I'm

glad I did that. It was good that I did

that." And it's always worth working

hard to seek the Lord, for he is the

source of our salvation.

So, as Christians, we need to prioritize

a good habit of getting into God's word

and seeking him in prayer. And yes, it

is hard.

But that's one of the reasons why we

prioritize meeting together too to seek

the Lord

because we need each other. Now verse

one, it says you will say, I'm told that

is singular. I don't speak Hebrew, but

I'm told that is singular there. So you

you personally, you you will say

whatever it is you say. Um and then in

verse one and two uh is very personal

still. So he notes how God was angry we

angry with not just them out there he

was angry with me comfort me I will

trust my strength my song my salvation.

So this is something we have all we have

to do for ourselves. We seek the Lord

personally.

We, you, I, me and you, we need to get

personal with the Lord. We need to get

real with him personally. We get to know

him ourselves. You You can't rely on

others to do this for you.

If you have young children,

it's appropriate that you do most of the

things for them at certain age, like

help make their hot chocolate. See what

I did there? Right. So that's just

quite, you know, they need help because

they're a child. Uh you make a lot of

decisions for them. They're not always

going to like them. They go, "I don't

want to do it." Well, it's tough. You're

going to do that. That's just the way it

is. You know, you tell them what's going

to going to happen. You say, "This is

your dinner. Eat it or not. There we

go." You know, you you tell them how

many sweets they're going to have. You

tell them what time they're going to go

to bed. They might fight against that,

but you are the parent. And you tell

them how it's going to be. You make

their dentist appointments. You choose

their school for them. You teach them

what is right and wrong. But there does

come a point when you can't do that

anymore. You can't make their doctor's

appointment anymore because they are a

grownup. You can't do their job

interview for them because that just

wouldn't be appropriate, would it? You

know, you can't take their exam for

them. And maybe that's a good thing. um

someone else can't they can donate you

so much for you to take you to the Lord

but there comes that point where you

have to come before the Lord yourself

and have that personal relationship with

the Lord. Each one of us has to know the

Lord for ourselves

and so the question is

do you

have you come to the Lord yourself?

Have you got that personal relationship

with him yourself? Or are you just here

because

someone brought you?

So there is this distinctly personal

thing that has to happen between you and

the Lord.

But there's also a communal thing that

happens as well. So the U in verse three

is plural.

So the communal church is made up of

people who individually and personally

know the Lord, but we come together. And

so as we come together, we can draw up

water from the wells of salvation. And

when we are personally going through

times of drought, when we can't see the

wells of blessing, how do I how do I

cope with this situation? How do I get

out of this situation? How do I relate

my faith in God to this situation?

When we can't pray for ourselves, when

we need encouragement or we're

struggling with doubt or worry or

unhelpful thoughts, then we need to be

with each other to lead one another to

those worlds of salvation. I can see

you're struggling, brother. I can see

you're struggling, sister. Let me help

you. Let me come alongside you. Let me

just maybe I can just speak into your

situation. Or maybe I can just listen

and pray for you. Do you see? that we

come together and we relate um our

situation to God and God to our

situation.

So we help lead each other to the wells

of salvation.

Sometimes Christians kid themselves into

thinking they don't need to meet with

other Christians.

That is unbiblical.

It's dangerous

and it's selfish

because yet you might be fine right now.

You probably won't be fine for a long

for long because if we don't meet with

God's people, what happens is we tend to

go off in some strange direction.

But actually, what about your brother

and sister who needs your help?

No, we should make it our business to

prioritize seeking the wells of

salvation personally so that we can then

help point others to the wells of

salvation in their times of need.

So, can I encourage you?

Don't be content with just a little

snack, a fleeting

um glimpse of the Lord.

Although, anything is better than

nothing. But why not consider how you

can win 15 minutes in your day to seek

the Lord? I wonder if you think you

could do that. Do you think you could do

that? Maybe some of you think 15 minutes

I I spend like half an hour, 40 minutes,

you know, with the Lord. Some of you

think, well, I barely give the Lord a

second thought in a day. So, I wonder if

we can do that. Can we Can we do that?

Do you think you could do that? think

where in my day could I win 15 minutes?

I don't know.

15 minutes to seek the Lord and refresh

your soul in him.

Yeah. Yeah, I I think if if you can find

time to go on your phone,

I'm not going to ask you to tell me what

your screen time is, but if you can find

time to go on your phone, you can

probably find 15, 20, 25 minutes,

whatever, to meet with the Lord.

But why not go even further?

Why not plan to have a special time with

the Lord? So, so maybe and I know for

some this will probably not be possible,

but for some, why not think, do you know

what? I want to I want to spend an hour.

I want to spend two hours. I want to

spend three hours a morning, a day with

the Lord. And get your Bible. Go to some

place you like, a coffee shop or a quiet

place. take a flask, I don't know, and

read a whole book of scripture

and as you do, pause, pray through it.

As things occur to you, as questions

are, bring them to the Lord. Have that

communion with the Lord. You know,

meditate upon your what you're reading.

Seek the Lord

about what you you're you're reading.

Why not plan in those special times to

give the Lord a bit more of that time

and enjoy time with him?

Many years ago, I was facing a

challenging time in my ministry and I

was really struggling to get quality

time with the Lord and and it was like

this building up thing where I just knew

I needed to get some time alone with the

Lord. And so in the end, I just said to

CL, I need to go. And so just for a few

hours and um I I just drove in my car to

a quiet spot that I knew and I just

prayed to the Lord. And I don't know how

long I was there for, but it was just

what I needed.

I realize right now you're probably

thinking of all sorts of reasons why you

can't possibly do something like that,

why it wouldn't work for you. But how

about you change it round and you bring

to bear all your creativity, brilliance,

and thinking to to think, how could I

make this work for me? You know, how

could I get some time?

What would work for me?

Can I encourage you as you walk through

your life, constantly look towards the

Lord? Look to how you can refresh your

soul. Look to how you can delve into his

word. Can you kind of cons consider how

you can be drawing upon him? Maybe maybe

there's some music that's really helpful

for you, some worship music, some hymns

or whatever. Maybe you find a particular

Christian author or devotion is helpful.

We'll we'll get into that. Maybe there's

a particular preacher or podcast. Well,

get some of that going. Um maybe you

just find walking in nature is really

good because you can praise God as you

walk through. Well, go for it. Do it.

Send down the bucket into the wells of

salvation. Seek the Lord. Refresh your

soul. Enjoy the benefits of the Lord.

This is what we're called to do.

He is there to be known,

to be enjoyed.

So go and drink.

But as we sip on the waters of

salvation,

let's consider some of the things that

we might find in our second point. a sip

of gratitude.

I'm not particularly knowledgeable about

wine tasting, but some people seem to be

able to detect all sorts of flavors and

scents and undertones and all these

things. And apparently wines have uh can

have a particular floral or fruity

flavor. They can have tones of spice and

minerals and even earthy flavors. I

don't know what that means. Um but I

haven't got a clue to be honest. I I

just, you know, if I have a sip of wine,

it's it's red or it's white and it's

nice or it's not. And that's pretty much

as far as I go. Um, but when it comes to

the waters of salvation

of God and all that we have in Christ,

there are complex flavors and facets of

our salvation to be tasted, to be swled

around the mouth and enjoyed. It's worth

taking time to appreciate the flavors.

So, the first flavor pointed out for us

is that of gratitude. Verse one,

you will say in that day,

I will give thanks to you, oh Lord. This

is what has been prophesied for those

who personally know the deliverance of

the Lord. We will have a desire. We will

have a heart to give thanks. Uh if if a

Christian isn't thankful to God, I can't

imagine that they've really understood

the gospel at all.

What stimulates gratitude?

It's being saved.

They back there, Israel, and we are in a

desperate situation. Our sin is an

outrage to God.

It is an affront

to God.

Sin is a defiant posture towards God.

Sin is to contradict God. It is to

mistrust him and to think that we know

better.

Sin values something over and above God.

Unless we try to usurp him and put

ourselves or something else in his

place, in the words of theologian John

Murray,

God cannot but recoil

against that which is a contradiction of

himself.

Such recoil is his holy indignation.

And God recoils from

our sin. God is angry over our sin and

the sin of his people. Back then the sin

was clear. They had filled their streets

with blood and injustice.

They were full of oppression.

They withheld justice. They robbed the

poor, denied help to widows. They prayed

on the fatherless. And at times, we're

told they became even worse than the

pagan nations around them.

And injustice

and abuse

angers God. It still does, by the way.

All those things God still has a heart

for. He still doesn't want to see those

things going on.

Injustice and abuse angers God because

because it's contrary to who he is. He

is a lover of what is good and right.

And so God is angry when he sees those

things taking place. He's angry when

they take place inside and outside of

the church.

He's angry with all who sin. And and

that does include us.

People often bulk at the horror of the

sacrifices in the Old Testament.

All the blood

or the loss of life, suffering.

But you know that's the sacrifices that

they're not the real horror.

The real horror

is what was so bad

that demanded those sacrifices being

made.

What was it?

It was our sin.

What was it that was so bad that

required the precious son of God to come

and die in the most horrific way on the

cross? What demanded that?

It is our sin.

We fail to realize how awful our sin is.

Often we minimize it, we excuse it, and

and we often wonder what all the fuss is

about it. And yet when someone precious

to us dies, we get a snapshot of the

horror of sin because sin isn't just on

its own like a little island. Sin

produces death. That's what it's done

throughout the entire world. It produces

death. And when we experience death

close up and personal, it's it's

horrific, isn't it? It rips our heart to

pieces. It breaks us. It hollows hollows

us out like nothing else. And that is a

snapshot into how horrid and awful sin

is because that's what it produces,

death.

Death came into the world because of

sin. That's how hideous it is. And our

sin is such an outrage to God that it

will keep us in hell forever

because the price cannot be paid.

So we're if we're in hell because of our

sin, it's never enough. It never covers

it. It never pays the price.

This is the terrible fearful keep you

awake at night thought that that sinners

like you and me. This is what we face

apart from Christ

an eternity of punishment from a just

and angry God.

And we need to get this otherwise we

won't get the rest. That's why I'm I'm

trying to convey this to you.

This is what we face without Christ. and

eternity in hell.

It is the most serious thing you can

ever contemplate. So know this, without

Christ, you will go to hell.

But this is the song of salvation,

not condemnation. So verse one, you will

say, "In that day, I will give thanks to

you, oh Lord, for though you were angry

with me, your anger turned away that you

might comfort me."

On the cross, God's righteous wroth was

poured out on Jesus

and eternity of deserved hell was

focused onto that one man who was so

pure,

who was so precious that his blood, his

death could pay the price.

Whereas my death and my eternal

punishment in hell couldn't pay the

price, Jesus's death and punishment on

that cross was sufficient. It was enough

so that God can forgive me and you and

look upon us clothed in all the goodness

of his son. And and when we are covered

by what Jesus has done, he he doesn't

recoil from our sin

in disgust and anger, but he smiles and

he welcomes us in and he comforts us.

And that is why a Christian will be a

thankful person.

It doesn't mean we don't have struggles

or hard seasons or if or even difficult

questions to to bring to God. You know,

why why is this happening to me? Why the

things these things going on? But what

it means is no matter what circumstances

we face, no matter what we lose, no

matter what our disappointments and our

heartbreaks that we go through, no

matter what our struggles, no, no matter

what our health concerns,

at the heart of our salvation is the

fact that God is not against you, he is

for you. Do you get that? God is not

against you. He is for you.

The wroth that we deserved has been

turned upside down. And he embraces us

and comforts us as his child.

Whatever loss you may suffer, if you are

in Christ, your eternity is secure. And

in fact, you've already entered into

eternal life.

So when you're feeling dissatisfied or

spiritually cold,

when joy seems to have left the

building,

send down the bucket into the well of

salvation. Remember what he has done for

you. Remember what he has promised you.

Remember how God loves you and and and

remember he is for you.

and drink deeply of these truths.

What a relief. What a joy. You know,

because you know this is how it ends.

Your story does not end in loss and pain

and shame or even in death. That's not

the end of your story.

Your your story ends or perhaps just

begins in comfort, in relief, in joy in

life.

You may weep now, but the Bible tells us

he will weep wipe away every tear from

our eyes so we can be thankful.

Let's take a second sip of these waters.

And our final point, and this is brief,

uh, a sip of salvation.

Sorry to go back to my holidays again,

but you can tell I'm already thinking

about my holiday, but uh, just to go

back to my holidays. Um, when I'm flying

somewhere, um, one of the things I like

about flying is I don't need to worry

about the journey. Although, some of you

might recall when I last tried to fly,

there was a bit of an issue with me

actually getting onto the plane. That

was a concern. But when once you're on

the plane, you don't really need to

worry about it, do you? Because someone

else is going to do all the hard work

once you're on. Um, you know, it's not

my responsibility to fly the plane. I

don't need to know the way. I don't need

to worry about how to land it or the

timings. It's in the hands of the

pilots.

And in some ways, that's a bit like our

salvation.

Verse two, do you see he says behold

that behold is surely there because the

one who was angry with me in verse one

is actually now my salvation. Behold,

how can this be? The one who was angry

with me, he is now the one who saves me.

This is amazing.

Again in verse two perhaps that's why uh

the Lord there is referred to as the

Lord God or in verse in the NIV the Lord

the Lord it's a repetition of his name

the Lord the Lord who is the savior is

the Lord who the Lord it's the Lord

himself he is our salvation he is the

orchestrator the initiator the achiever

the finisher the Lord himself is our

salvation

so when it comes to the work of

salvation It's all of the Lord when it

comes to delivering me. It's all of him.

He is the pilot. I am in the plane.

Jesus, he's going to take me to where I

need to go. So verse two, I will trust

him and will not be afraid. Whatever we

face, God knows what he's doing.

He has plotted the course of my life. He

will take me to the places I need to go.

Maybe not all the places I want to go,

but he will take me to the places I need

to go. He will issue the warnings I need

to hear. He will give me the comfort

that I need in the moment. He will do

all that is needed to keep his promise

to deliver me into his presence in

glory. Even if it means there will be

some turbulence and major course

corrections on the way.

It's God who saves us.

So what are we called to do?

to trust him. That's what we're called

to do. To trust him. What does it mean

to trust him

means we trust his word.

It means we build our lives upon what he

has said.

We are willing then to deny ourselves

certain things because I trust he knows

what he's doing. So I think he knows

best. So therefore that path looks

really exciting and interesting, but I

know God says that's wrong. I'm going to

trust him. I'm going to go down the one

he says. We are willing to invest

ourselves in the kingdom because we know

it's worth it. And we take scripture

seriously. We're not at liberty to edit

it or explain away the bits we don't

like. If God sets a certain pattern

and order to things, that is the best

pattern and order. That is for our

flourishing. It might not line up with

modern sensibilities, but what God says

is going to be for our best. So to trust

God means we stake our lives on him. We

stake our happiness on him and we stake

our future on him. When we trust God, we

go his way even though other ways might

look quite appealing. And what a joy

this is

because my ultimate destination, my

ultimate joy, my ultimate happiness, my

salvation, my life, it's in the Lord's

hands and not my fumbling hands. It's in

the Lord's hands. I find that to be a

great relief.

I need to trust him and follow him and

obey him.

And as I do that, I find that he is my

strength.

And thank God for that because I don't

know about you, but but there are times

in my life when I I feel like I can't do

this. You know, sometimes things happen

and I I don't know how I'm going to be

able to cope with this. I'm not strong

enough. I'm not clever enough. I'm not

good enough. I can't change myself. I

can't change that attitude that I find

there that I don't like. I I can't do

it.

But then we seek the Lord and you're on

your knees face down in prayer drinking

from the wells of salvation and you are

reminded that the Lord God is your

strength. He is the one who can help

you. He is the one who can bring change

into your life not you.

And so we are reminded I am not alone.

He has got me. He will never forsake me.

He keeps me. He helps me. He empowers us

by his holy spirit. I am not enough,

but he always will be.

And when we taste the flavors, the

realities of our salvation, of who he

is, what he's done, what he's doing, he

then becomes our song. And we're going

to think more about this next week. But

the person who knows their God, who

knows their sins are forgiven, who knows

the hope we have in Jesus, who knows

that despite our awful current

circumstances, there is a future.

There is a and that is secure and that

God is my help and my strength until

that time. That person who knows those

things, who knows their God for

themselves will be a thankful person and

they will be a praising person. God will

be our song. He will be our delight. He

will be our joy.

So Christian,

whether you are feeling empty or full

right now,

draw water from the wells of salvation.

Refresh yourself in God. Draw your

strength from him. Build your life upon

him. Seek him. Know him. Enjoy him. And

your soul will truly sing. Once again,

remind yourself, God is my salvation.

Let's just be quiet before the Lord.

Father, we confess that when we try to

do things without you, so often it goes

wrong.

So often it's not what we thought it

would be.

So often it ends up with something that

is hurtful or damaging.

Lord, forgive us when we are so busy

with everything but you. Forgive us when

there is a

we treat you as an afterthought. Father,

we pray

for each one of us here that you would

stir our hearts and our souls.

Lord, that you would create in us clean

hearts, hearts that are after your own,

hearts that desire you, hearts that want

you, hearts that seek hard after you. Oh

Lord, we pray that you would put in us

that love of God. And Lord, lead us to

these wells. I pray help us to know what

it is to enjoy fellowship with you. Help

us to know what it is to drink from the

wells of salvation,

to know what it is to enjoy the truths

of your word and what you've done and to

know them bearing fruit in our lives.

Lord, we pray that you would be a work

in us as a fellowship, as a people.

Lord, we'll be a we we be a real

community of people who know and love

our Lord. So Lord, do this we ask in

Jesus name. Amen.