Isaiah tells us to draw water from the wells of salvation with joy. (Is 12:3) Having a determination to praise God and rejoice no matter what (see Hab 3:17-18) acts as the energy needed to draw the water from the well. Joy is a fruit of the Spirit and a gift of God, but the decision to praise and rejoice is ours. As Darlene Zschech says, ‘worship requires obedience… it requires an act of your will.’ There is great power in praise – power to change hearts and power to move mountains.

If we empty our buckets (our very lives) of all that is not of God (see Heb 12:1-3) and come to Him with simple faith and sacrificial praise (Heb 13:15), we can draw from the wells of salvation and find satisfaction and thirst-quenching life in God. We can then also offer this water of life to other people who are desperately thirsty. It’s not rocket science, but it does require our whole-hearted commitment and our honest faith.

We may only be jars of clay holding the all-surpassing power and treasure of God (2 Cor 4:7), but we need to understand the things that prevent us from receiving God’s living water.

Fear and worry can easily dominate our lives, causing us to fret rather than to trust God. Jesus reminded us not to worry (Matt 6:25), assuring us of God’s providence and provision. (Matt 6:25-34, John 14:1) We have to choose where we allow our thoughts to rest (see Phil 4:6-8). When we allow God’s peace to reign in our hearts, it’s like taking the lid off the bucket and having much more room for the water!

Doubt and indecision can stop us using the rope and bucket God has given us. It’s easier at times to believe the lies of the enemy than God and to allow inertia and fear of failure to have the last word. God wants us to press on – just do it! (see Col 3:17)

Wrong attitudes and sinful thoughts and actions corrode our buckets, allowing the water to leak out. Unforgiveness, anger, hatred, resentment, jealousy and pride can easily fill our lives, leaving no room for God’s living water. We have to take off the old self before we can put on the new. (Eph 4:22-24) We need to confess our sins and allow God’s cleansing power to purify us from all unrighteousness. (1 Jn 1:9)

Only as we come to God with an empty bucket and the rope of faith can we begin to draw water from the wells of salvation with joy. (Is 12:3)

In continuing our series on ‘The Wells of Salvation’, we looked tonight at the fact that in order to draw water from the well of salvation (Is 12:3), we need two basic things: a rope and a bucket. If we are to access the living water of God (Jn 7:38, Ezek 47:1-12), we need to have these two pieces of equipment so that we can actually access and carry the water out of the well.

The Rope of Faith

Faith is like the rope needed to wind the bucket up and down into the well. Heb 11:6 reminds us that faith is essential to please God. Faith is not just what we need at the start of our Christian journey; we have to continually walk by faith and not by sight. (2 Cor 5:7) Salvation is God’s free gift to us (Eph 2:8-9), but so often, we allow our rope to become frayed and torn, like the man who longed to see Jesus heal his son but who wavered in unbelief. (Mark 9:24)

Jesus reminds us that faith as small as a mustard seed can move mountains (Matt 17:20). Faith means believing what God says is true and applying that to our lives, as Abraham did (Rom 4:20-21). Faith is like a muscle that needs to be exercised. Jesus said that ‘whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.’ (John 14:12) God wants to stretch our faith, encouraging us to believe that He is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine. (Eph 3:20) We were encouraged to take home a tiny mustard seed and ponder what God can do with even the smallest amounts of faith. We need to be seeking God for what’s next, for what He wants us to do and where He wants to lead us.

The Bucket of Provision

We also need a bucket to draw water from a well! We are essentially the ‘bucket’ into which God pours His Holy Spirit (see 1 Cor 6:19, 2 Cor 4:7), but so often, our bucket – like Henry’s in the song ‘There’s A Hole In My Bucket’ – has a lid on it (fear and worry meaning that there is no way God’s living water can get into the bucket!) or a hole in it (as doubt, indecision and sin all corrode the bucket, leaving us with no water.) Only as we lower an empty bucket into the well can we hope to draw fresh water out. We need to be continually filled with the Holy Spirit (Eph 5:18) so that we can live the life God wants us to live.

This morning, Garry spoke from Isaiah 33:1-6. Isaiah prophesied during the reigns of several kings. Originally, when he started prophesying, the country was prosperous and stable, but over the years, Assyria rose in power and Egypt’s power waned, leaving Israel and Judah feeling vulnerable and afraid. Assyria’s reputation was for brutal violence (anyone who opposed the regime ended up being flayed), and God’s people tended to want to ally with other countries rather than relying on God’s help (see Is 30:1-5).

This period of tumult, with new changes and people afraid, is not so different from our present times. Terrorism is rife in the world, with local cities targeted even in the UK. The persecution of Christians in some countries (e.g. Sudan, Nigeria) is rising, and in Europe, there is turmoil with Russia and continuing Brexit negotiations. Isaiah’s reminder that knowing God is the key to the treasures of God is vital.

We need to acknowledge God as our…

1. foundation. He is the One who is in sovereign control of the world, no matter what rulers and politicians may think. (Ps 2:1-4)
2. salvation. God is able to rescue us ‘from out of’ situations (see Ps 18:2, Heb 5:7) and is our rescuer and deliverer.
3. wisdom. The wisdom of God is revealed in Christ (1 Cor 2:6-9) and given to us when we ask God for it. (James 1:5)
4. knowledge. God knows the end from the beginning (Is 46:8-10) and can direct us. He wants people to come to know Him and to know the truth (1 Tim 2:4), for the truth can set us free. (John 8:32)

Jeremiah reminded the exiles to seek the peace and prosperity of the city in which they were exiled. (Jer 29:4-7) We are called to ‘love where we live’, to pray for our local area and for those in authority over us (see 2 Tim 2:1-5). We may not always see the bigger picture of what God is doing, but we can be secure in the knowledge that He is in control. God’s got it all in hand. Our part is to pray and love the area in which God has placed us and to trust God’s sovereign hand in our lives, no matter how uncertain the times may seem.

In our Bible studies, we are looking at the ‘Hallelujah Psalms’, the last five psalms in the Psalter, which are all psalms of praise. Praising God is the key to so many battles in life; as Chris Tomlin puts it in the song ‘Praise Is the Highway’, it is the highway to the throne of God, to the heart of God and to the move of God. If we want to know God more intimately and see Him moving in our communities, we need to learn the ‘passwords of praise’ (as the Message version of Psalm 89 puts it.)

The rocks will cry out, the oceans will roar
The mountains will bow to the name of the Lord
He is our God, He will be praised.

The idols will fall, the strongholds will break
Every weapon that forms will shatter and fail
He is our God, He is our faith.

Praise is the highway to the throne of God.
Praise is the highway to the heart of God.
Praise is the highway to the move of God.

Revival will come, the church will awake
His anthem will drown all other refrains
He is our song, He forever reigns
He reigns!

Lift up your head, fling wide the gates
Break down the walls with a shout of praise
Lift up your voice, pull heaven down
Oh, sing like thunder His praises loud
Lift up your head, fling wide the gates
Break down the walls with a shout of praise
Lift up your voice, pull heaven down
Oh, sing like thunder His praises loud.

When You move, there is freedom
When You move, there is healing
Here on Earth as it is in Heaven
When You move
Move in power, Lord, move in power
Church awake, revival come
Strongholds break in Your name
In Your name. (‘Praise Is The Highway’, Chris Tomlin)

“Blessed are the people who know the passwords of praise, who shout on parade in the bright presence of God. Delighted, they dance all day long; they know who you are, what you do—they can’t keep it quiet! Your vibrant beauty has gotten inside us— you’ve been so good to us! We’re walking on air! All we are and have we owe to God, Holy God of Israel, our King!” (Psalm 89, The Message)

Ps 146 gives us many reasons to praise God. It can be good to list these reasons, for there are times when life buffets us so much that it can be difficult to think of reasons during the storms.

1. God is faithful. This again is not simply a characteristic for now, but He remains faithful (Ps 146:6, see also Heb 10:23, Ps 33:4)
2. He is the God of the underdog, upholding the cause of the oppressed and giving food to the hungry. (Ps 146:7, see also Ps 145:15, Phil 4:19) This care for the needy includes the orphans, widows and foreigners (Ps 146:9, see also Deut 24, Deut 27:19, Zech 7:10). Our attitude towards these groups needs always to be tested against God’s care and compassion towards these people rather than simply being influenced and moulded by political expediency.
3. He gives sight to the blind and sets the captives free (Ps 146:7-8, see also Matt 11:5, Luke 4:18, Is 9:2). God is able to do this in the natural realm, as the many healings of the blind by Jesus demonstrate, but He is also able to do this in the spiritual realm, opening eyes that have been blinded by the enemy. (2 Cor 4:4-6)
4. He is able to lift up those who are bowed down (Ps 146:8, see also Ps 40:2.) God’s ability to lift us up and rescue us from dire situations definitely gives us reason to praise Him!
5. He is righteous and always does what is right. (Ps 146:8, see also Gen 18:25)

When we find ourselves doubting God’s goodness or power (and such times will come to all of us at some point in our lives), this psalm gives us an anchor which keeps us steady.