Rain, Wells and Springing Up

The recent weather has made us sit up and take notice. Yes we do depend on the weather, and so yes we do depend on God - His grace and provision. It is not simply a case of continuing on as normal.

Promises in scripture suggest the same might be true of salvation - that is of seeing whole waves of people discovering the grace of God. Isaiah 12:3 talks of our joy of drawing water from the wells of salvation. This comes in the middle of a song celebrating God's ability to save - something to be made known to all the world.

Just as we have longed for a relief in the hot weather and particularly for rains, let us long for God to open new wells of salvation that we may be able to draw up from in our mission contexts.

Later in Isaiah 45:8 it says 'heavens above rain down my righteousness ... let the earth open wide, let salvation spring up'. A bit more of a curious passage here, since God says he will use a foreign king to advance his purposes. Yet again in the middle is this marvellous promise that with God showering His righteousness, it will be like salvation simply springing up from the ground. In other words popping up here and there without much intervention from us!

Let us wait on God, looking for another new wave where His work enables salvation to occur around us. Let us revel in the unpredictability of it - for it will be His doing rather than our programme.

Lord God, may you open new wells of salvation. May we see it spring up from the ground!