“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. 4 They shall spring up among the grass like willows by flowing streams. 5 This one will say, ‘I am the Lord’s,’ another will call on the name of Jacob, and another will write on his hand, ‘The Lord’s,’ and name himself by the name of Israel.” (Isaiah 44:3-5, ESV)
Several years ago, Chris and I took a vacation to Maui, Hawaii. This was the trip of `a lifetime for us. Maui was a beautiful and interesting place. One of the things we did was take a guided bus tour on the road to Hana. The driver took us around the island road, and we saw three different types of climatic and soil conditions. We started out from our resort on the West side of the Island and drove to the North side, which was a tropical rainforest. Travelling along the road to Hana, we rounded the east side of the Island and entered into one of the most arid and dry places I had ever seen. It was a virtual desert.
The desert was there because it got little to no rain. Nothing grew. We went from the beautiful tropical north side of the island to this arid and desolate place. You see, the volcano that formed this part of the Island blocked the prevailing winds that carried the moisture-laden clouds so that the south side of the island did not get enough rain to grow the flora for which we know Hawaii. Yet as we continued our tour on the south side of Maui, we encountered sugar plantations, pineapple groves, and luscious foliage in certain areas much like at our resort. So, how was this possible in the midst of such arid environment?
Our tour guide cleared up the mystery regarding how the plantations flourished in a desert environment. He explained that many years before we took this vacation the plantation-owners built aqueducts to bring the water from the north side of the island to their plantations. Thus, ample water constantly moved from the north side of the island to the south side to produce plantations that flourished.
In this verse of Isaiah, we see a promise that the Lord made to the nation of Israel. He would refresh their dry land with water. The promise was to bless them and make them fruitful. The Lord said He would do this by pouring out His Spirit upon them. This would take the spiritually dry nation and turn them into a blessing of fruitfulness.
Many years later, on the day of the Jewish feast of Pentecost, something happened to a group of Jesus’ followers as they met and were praying. In the book of Acts we read that the Spirit of God came upon these believers and indwelt them. Through this work of God’s grace, He poured Living Water into them, by whom they would be able to produce fruit, abundant spiritual fruit. God replicates this work of making the arid place of the human heart a fertile plantation every time a person truly believes in Jesus Christ.
Each of us were dead in our trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1). We were spiritually arid and incapable of producing spiritual fruit. Yet on that marvelous day when Christ saved us, He poured into us the water of life, His Spirit. This is what changed our lives. As a result, our lives have become a blessing rather than a curse and we say to others and ourselves “I am the Lord’s.”
Be encouraged. You are a blessing because you are the Lord’s chosen vessel.
Renewing the Heart 