Good Morning All!
Isaiah 44:3; “For
I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will
pour my Spirit upon your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants.”
Isn’t it amazing what a little rain can do? We have seen the blessing of God’s rain on
his creation. Most of us have lived in
South Dakota our whole life. We have
seen some incredibly dry years. For most
South Dakotans you do not have to say much more than the year and those around
will nod their heads; 1988, 1976, 1959, 1936, and 1934. I am sure you can think of other years as
well. Drought conditions seem to draw
the moisture not only from the ground but from our very being.
The Israelites lived in a land that knew
many of these same problems. They understood
streams drying up. They understood
looking to the west looking for any sign of a rain cloud. They knew what the earth looks like after it
has baked in the sun left with cracks to expose even more ground to the
scorching sun. They knew the weight of
no rain and they knew the uplifting of the spirit that comes from a rain in the
midst of that heat and dryness.
This is why Isaiah uses this imagery. We understand dryness and the invigorating,
renewing, replenishing effect of a rain in a drought. That same replenishing effect occurs in our
spirit and in our heart as God pours out His Spirit upon us.
Drought is a very accurate way to
describe our life without Christ in it.
We have no growth; we have no yield of a harvest; we have no hope. We exist only to have the very lifeblood
sucked out of us by the devil’s scorching sun of condemnation on our
souls. We are parched, looking, as the
rich man in the parable of Lazarus, for someone to dip their finger in some
water and place it on our tongue; we are that parched and worn out, cracked
wide open to further harm and destruction.
Yet God, in his mercy, poured out his
Spirit on us. Jesus came to free us from
the bondage of the devil and our slavery to sin; to give to us freely the
living water to drink. He pours this
living water into our spirit and into our heart that we might feel refreshed, restored,
and replenished. He gives to us the hope
of salvation. The devil will still try
and convince us of the drought that is ahead, but Christ is always there to
destroy the devil’s schemes with his loving Spirit. We may experience events in our lives that
seem to draw the life out of us, but God is always present to redeem and
restore us, to comfort and console us.
God provides for us, His children, out of love and mercy which he pours
out upon us. This gives us the fresh
growth of hope and peace. Our trust is
in God for his mercy knows no end.
Father of all grace, you
pour out your mercy on us like a flowing river, cleansing us from all sin and
the hold of the devil. Guide us by your
love to see the tender mercies which are ours.
Guard us from the devil and all his ways. Refresh us and renew us by your holy Word and
your blessed Sacraments. Use us to bring
this living water to all those around us.
In Jesus name we pray, amen.
God’s Peace,
Pastor Bret
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