Dig a Well!

I don't know about you, but sometimes I need to hear something more than once for it to actually sink in. And when it comes to sermons, if I hear two messages that are very similar, yet from different sources and places, it really manages to get my attention! It's like my spirit stands up and takes notice and says, "Are you listening? Do you hear this? God's trying to tell you something here!"

This happened to me recently with a talk I heard while we were at camp and then another a little over a week week later at my home church. While the two pastors that delivered the messages know each other, I'm sure they didn't coordinate their talks just for me! The theme of both talks was the importance of "digging holes and ditches", in faith, for the future and for those who come behind us.

The first message was delivered by Jason Baumgardner at Florida Family CFO. Jason B. was speaking from Psalm 84:5-7 about going through dry places. The main idea was that as we learn ourselves about whatever we're going through, we "dig a well" that will fill with water to bless those who travel behind and come after us, so that their journey goes a little better than ours. We even spent time as an audience physically making the motion of using a shovel and digging.

Fast forward ten days, and our Pastor, Jason Skipper, preached a message that included 2 Kings 3:14-20 about the prophet Elisha saying that The Lord said to, "make this valley full of ditches." The point was very similar. While in the physical they would not see rain fill the ditches, they would still however, fill with water and bless those that came behind and followed them.

In both instances, the wells or ditches needed to be dug in faith, not knowing what would come of them or how they would be filled. In the first message and in the Psalm 84 passage, we remove the focus from our own trials and struggles by occupying ourselves with doing something for others - digging the well. In the second message and in the 2 Kings passage, we take our focus off the here and now and with faith, perform a physical act - digging a ditch - that will bring blessings in the future. (I appreciate the fact that God has the patience with me to hit me twice (or more) with some things before I get it!)

So the obvious question remains... What do I do with this? What trials am I going through right now that require me to "dig a well" to help those who come behind me? And what ditches do I need to dig in faith, believing in the blessings to come? When I initially wrote this post down on paper, some things immediately came to mind. In the few days since, other things have come up - some potentially difficult trials - that I think this will have an application for, as well.

But what about you? Where do you need to start putting your shovel in the ground? Where can you dig a well? And what ditch do you need to start digging in faith today? You may not know how the blessing will follow, but rest assured, God does. You just need to be obedient and do your part... and believe in faith that He will do His.