Drinking From the Fountain

Drinking From the Fountain

             Close your eyes, relax, picture a fountain in the midst of a garden and think about the sound of water as it bubbles forth. Can you hear it; hear the little droplets fall like gentle rain into the pool beneath?  The longer you sit quietly; picturing and listening, peace begins to seep into your being.

            I have always loved fountains whether in a garden or in a busy city square.  They make you stop a minute and maybe for just a second bring peace to a busy day.  They remind me of the gentle rain that God sends us at times.  All sunshine doesn’t bring continuous joy.
            Some of my favorite times are to awake in the morning when the day is gray and the soft rain is falling on the sidewalk; the parched grass or the thirsty garden.  Something about it makes me feel so secure and peaceful; a great time for a cup of tea and a good book.  The cares of life seem to wash away.
            I don’t have a fountain in my garden any longer, but there is another fountain that is available to everyone at all times.  In Isaiah 12:3 it says, “With joy you will drink deeply from the fountain of salvation!”  I have done this and have experienced ‘peace that passes understanding’ and it gives me such joy and security. 
            Perhaps you have never heard of this amazing ‘Fountain of Salvation’.  The prophet Jeremiah explains it, “…the Lord, the Fountain of Living Water.”  In other words, God, the Father gives us a fountain of salvation, because he is the Fountain of Living Water.  We have this fountain within us to keep us from getting dry and thirsty.  If you are thirsty and sit by a fountain, but don’t drink, you’ll only get thirstier.
            Have you noticed that when you are thirsty it’s all you can think about?  You know there’s a fountain there; you see it and you hear it, but it doesn’t quench your thirst.  It’s the same as knowing there is a God; you hear about it; you read about it, but that doesn’t do a thing for you.
            The only way you can quench your thirst for joy, happiness and peace is to drink the Living Water from the well of Salvation.  You must realize that you are a sinner and ask Jesus, God’s Son to forgive you and invite him into your heart.  After all, He died on the cross for you and for me so our sins would be wiped away.
            You might be thinking, “I’m not a bad person; I didn’t kill anyone or commit a crime, so why would I need to ask forgiveness?”  Let me ask you a couple questions.  Did you ever tell a lie?  Did you ever take anything that didn’t belong to you?  Did you ever speak badly about another person?  Those are sins; maybe they aren’t the ‘big’ sins, but nevertheless they are sins and you need to repent.
           Perhaps you are a believer that has become dry and thirsty and you can’t be satisfied.  Come, drink of the Living Water.  Listen to God’s voice; he’s calling to you.  He wants you to drink deeply from this amazing fountain.  I know for myself I have wandered around dry and thirsty and want to be filled from God’s Fountain.  His Living Water is to be shared with others.  How can you do this if you are dried up?
            There is a danger to those who don’t drink enough.  You may have a sun stroke or heat stroke; you may have kidney problems, or your skin begins to crack and flake.  Just like the physical danger, there is also spiritual danger.  God tells his people in Jeremiah 2:13 “For my people have done two evil things: They have forsaken me--the fountain of living water. And they have dug for themselves cracked cisterns that can hold no water at all!”
            If we have turned from God or have become lackadaisical about a relationship with Him, we probably are not holding the Living Water he has given us.  God didn’t do this; we have done it to ourselves.   He is not holding back – we are no longer drinking from the Fountain of Living Water!
            If you are searching for peace within yourself, turn to the One who give you peace.  Go to that Fountain and drink until you are satisfied.  If you haven’t yet turned your life over to Him, go to that Fountain of Salvation and He will fill you.  How do you do that?  Do what we talked about in the beginning; close your eyes, think about a fountain of bubbling water, listen and wait.  Soon you’ll feel that peace come over you and you’ll know it’s the Lord.  Then talk to him just like you would to a person you know.  He will answer – I know He will.