“With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.”
Isaiah 12:3
Relief Center
Where do you go when you need help? When you need other people?
In Oklahoma City in April, 1995, you gathered at the First Christian Church.
After the horrible bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building at 9:02 a.m., Wednesday morning, April 19, 1995, people needed a gathering place and the First Christian Church turned itself into the Family Disaster Relief Center.
Family members, rescue workers, chaplains, media, and food servers gathered there 24 hours a day for two and a half weeks after Timothy McVeigh’s fertilizer bomb exploded, killing 168 men, women, and children.
They needed food, drink, information, and companionship as they worked and awaited news of who was alive and who was dead from the explosion.
“Families would adopt a table and gather around it, waiting for news. They were always full of hope, but as the days passed, they knew that whatever news they received was probably going to be bad. Trying to describe the atmosphere is difficult. Some families actually got notification that their loved one had died, and after taking care of arrangements, they would return to the dining room in order to be present for other families who were waiting. They knew how difficult that waiting was. There was a real heroism present in that.”
They gathered together and prayed for hope, for news, for solidarity.
Because that’s what we do when we’re thirsty for strength and peace and comfort: We gather.
But after May 4, 1995, things would change for them again.
Gathered around Ancient Wells
Thousands of years ago in Bible times, wells were a natural gathering place. Supplied by springs and rain, the wells in ancient Israel supplies water for both the people who lived or traveled nearby and for their animals.
Usually early in the morning or late in the afternoon, mostly women would bring their pitchers to the well to gather water to take home. And often bring their animals to let them drink at nearby troughs.
While there, they visited with others who were also getting water. The wells were social centers for a community.
Including engagement sites. Famous meetings at wells include:
- Rebekah and Abraham’s servant (Genesis 24:10-27)
- Jacob and Rachel (Genesis 29:1-11)
- Moses and Zipporah (Exodus 2:15-17).
Perhaps the most famous story involving wells is when Jesus met the Samaritan woman at a well (John 4:6-29), changing both her life forever and the lives of her community.
Where Are Our Wells?
But now?
We turn on our faucets in our individual homes and get water.
- We don’t have to travel.
- We don’t have to get a days’ worth at one time.
- We don’t have to wait our turn with others at the sink.
Technology and wealth often push us away from each other and from God, not towards.
We no longer gather around a communal fire for warmth or gather in public places to get news or even watch the same TV show in the living room. We don’t even have to gather on Sundays to hear a great sermon or sing great worship music.
Yet our need for community among believers—for a gathering place—remains the same.
So how can we benefit from a community well when our needs don’t require us to go there?
We have to be intentional.
4 Ways to Quench Your Spiritual Thirst
Here are 4 ways to quench our thirst for community in modern times.
- Drink Where You Go
We may no longer need to gather at the well to pick up basic necessities, but we do still get those somewhere. Be intentional about meeting friends to do things you’d have to do anyway, like eating a meal or taking your kids to the pool or worshiping God. And drink deeply from more than one well. “Wells of salvation” is plural in Isaiah 12:3, not singular.
- Bring Your Pitcher
Prepare to receive. A woman wouldn’t go to the well without a container to collect the water to take back home. When you know you’ll be around people, be expectant and prepared to take something home with you. Leave with a word of encouragement in your memory or a phone number added to your contacts. God never leaves us empty-handed.
- Keep It Clean
Just as a stone or a covering might be placed over a well to keep animals from falling in or pollutants from contaminating the water, so protect your gatherings as well. Keep your conversations God-honoring when you’re together. Don’t engage in hurtful activities. “Do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Colossians 3:17).
- Allow Travelers to Drink
Once we find a group of friends we like, it’s easy to seal it off from outsiders. But travelers get thirsty, too. Be open to sharing your water with strangers. Wells are self-replenishing; there is always enough. Hospitality is an extension of God’s grace. You once were a stranger, too, and God welcomed you in.
Different Wells
Just as water is essential for our physical bodies to digest food and regulate temperature and prevent fatigue, so fellowship among like-minded believers is essential for our souls to grow healthy and endure storms and run our race til the end.
Gathering around our wells in the 21st century may look different than pulling water from a well in 2000 B.C., but the human need remains the same.
Whether it’s in a church sanctuary, around the company Keurig, or in the bleachers around a ballfield, gather together intentionally to learn from each other, experience God’s presence together, and quench your spiritual thirst.
Come to the Waters
Back in Oklahoma City, the search for survivors was called off on May 5, 1995.
The families and friends gathered together as a group one more time the following day for a Memorial Service at the bombing site on May 6, 1995.
But the gatherings would continue in smaller groups.
Families stayed in touch, worked together for the Oklahoma City National Memorial Museum, and eventually saw their lost ones honored in the Field of Empty Chairs, a grouping of 168 empty chairs with names etched in each, sitting where the Murrah Building once stood.
Each empty chair represents a person no longer able to gather around a kitchen table with their families every night.
But for those who are still here to gather, let’s drink.
We all need our thirst quenched. From hurts of the day. From drained energy. From jobs well done and jobs left to do.
Let’s come thirsty together.
And leave refreshed.
“Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters.”
Isaiah 55:1a
Please share your thoughts in the comments.
See all the posts here in our series, Water in the Word.
What a great message, Lisa! It’s like your body with water—it’s good to practice this because if you feel like your are thirsty (spiritually or otherwise), you are already dehydrated!!
Jodie
http://www.jtouchofstyle.com
#TuneinThursday
Good point, Jodie. We don’t need to wait until we’re overcome with thirst before we drink. Stay hydrated all along the way! Thanks for sharing this thought.
Touching reminder of how God designed us to connect. With all the ways to connect in today’s modern society, more people are feeling disconnected and alone. “Intentional” is the key. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.
I agree, Floyd–“intentional” is what we have to be in this age. We can use technology to either disengage or to engage, just as any other tool in any other time. May the Lord show us mercy and give us strength to use it wisely to connect with each other.
Beautiful analogy, Lisa. Love your tips and especially “come to the waters.” For only when we drink from the well that never runs dry–Christ, our thirst is quenched. Blessings!
I remember my grandmother in Mississippi fought for years against getting “city water” – she only wanted to drink from her own well. Your comment made me remember that, and to be grateful that the well we drink from will never run dry! Thanks for sharing that, Karen.
“Let’s come thirsty together.” Amen. That’s what it’s all about isn’t it? Community. Thanks for sharing, Lisa. ((hug))
Agree, Brenda. Thanks for the “well” that you open up each week for our community to gather around. I know you get this!
All of your suggestions for quenching our thirst are wonderful. But I need to remember to let others fill my pitcher. Thanks for the reminder!
That’s a tough one for many of us, Debbie. We would often rather be the ones doing the filling, than receiving a filling. But there is grace and growth in both!
Lisa, I love #2: “Bring Your Pitcher. Prepare to receive.” I can fall into the trap of only showing up when I have something to give. But showing up when I’m thirsty is a reminder my heart needs. Thank you!
Yes, I can fall into that trap easily too, Crystal. I used to approach going to church that way: only go to give. But then I realized what a tragic mistake I was making because God longed to give to me and I needed to be humble enough to receive his blessings and grace.
Linda, what a great analogy. I like the one on keeping it clean. That makes the difference on whether we leave refreshed or not.
Isn’t that so true, Deb? I know I can leave even Christian gatherings feeling blah, if our conversations were gossipy or full of only complaints, etc. It’s another thing to be intentional about.
I love this topic and your description! I think the current state of affairs in the world means we more than ever should be gathering to quench our thirst for hope and encouragement beyond he church walls, Sundays, etc. For me that often means meeting a friend or two at a favorite coffee shop. Most weeks I choose one or two friends to enjoy an hour or two in unrushed conversation allowing the Lord to lead. It’s amazing that in sharing our lives how often we bump into just what we need to hear to refresh us! Thanks, Lisa!!
I’d love to drink at that well when you have unrushed conversations with friends at a coffee shop, Pam. Even though I don’t even drink coffee. ha. Those times can be so spiritually nurturing and can go a long way. I’m blessed to be able to have those opportunities more in this season of life, and I don’t take them for granted. They are big gulps of water to my spirit. Thanks for sharing your experience with us here.
Good points Lisa. Sadly, we have so many these days who are trying to fill their thirsty soul with tepid, bland, tasteless water. Like the woman at the well we need to seek the water that fills and never allows us to thirst again.
I agree, Bill. Like junk food and drinks, we can temporarily fill up on the wrong things, leaving no room for the healthy, nutritious stuff. (As I sit here drinking a Diet Dr. Pepper – guilty.)
Lisa, I don’t think I realized the significance of wells in Biblical times until this post. I, of course, knew of several Bible stories which took place at a well, but your deeper thoughts gave me deeper insight into those gathering places.
I like how you used the well to make a modern day practical application.
Great post!
Thanks for the encouraging words, Karen. There are so many great Bible stories that revolve around a well. It would be an interesting study to do in a fuller way. So much to learn!
Wow! That was beautiful! Thank you so much for this! I love the last two sentences!
“Let’s come thirsty together.
And leave refreshed.”
Blessings,
Amy
Thanks, Amy. Reading your comment brings to mind this beautiful verse from the last chapter in Revelation:
“The Spirit and the Bride say, ‘Come.’ And let the one who hears say, ‘Come.’ And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.” (Rev 22:17).
Dear Lisa, Nice write-up! Real life watering holes are much nicer than the online version (although your blogs are very nice too!). I like your point 4: as well as a centre for a community, the well is a place where an outsider can approach and make contact. It’s interesting that the well is at the centre and at the edge. David
I agree with you that real-life watering holes are the best, but I like the online versions as well. We get to meet people from all over the world in the comfort of our homes. And no insider or outsider categories when we’re online either. :)
Good point: wells serve as both the center and the margins. Thanks, David.