With JOY shall ye draw water out of the wells of SALVATION...

" Blessed is the man whose strength is in THEE... 

who passing through the valley of weeping make it a well." 

Psalm 84: 5,6.

Have you ever read through Isaiah and found the small chapter in the midst of  the book? Chapter 12. Such a small chapter... only 6 verses. But chapter 12 was such a blessing to me when I read through it this past week.

I was encouraged to find so much "food for the soul" in the small chapter. A chapter that reminds us of God's goodness towards us... of His strength and salvation that comforts us... of the hope we have in the ONE who has done excellent things.  

But I was especially touched by one verse in particular:

" Therefore with JOY shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation." 

Isaiah 12:3

My thoughts went to the well known passage found in John 4... where Jesus talks with the Samaritan woman at the well. There the LORD explains the true meaning of drawing water from the well. Not the physical water that shall make a man thirsty again...but a living water that shall satisfy. For eternity.

It is the Lord Jesus Christ who gives us the water of salvation.. and He promises us that the water HE gives will spring in us a well of salvation:

"Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life."  

John 4:14

Isn't that beautiful! What joy, to draw our strength from the living water found in HIM alone.

Then I thought of a couple of  verses, which made me think a bit. Made me think... because I often fail to apply them.

The verses are found in Psalm 84:5,6

" Blessed is the man whose strength is in THEE...who passing through the valley of weeping make it a well."

Now, I thought about the verse. Do I turn the moments of  "weeping"... into moments of joy?

How often I find myself in the midst of trials (or in the "valley"), and succumb to the surroundings... fretfulness, fearfulness, hopelessness. I fail to see those  moments as God's pruning, His grace....as He works to perfect that which is needful in my life.

O, to turn the valley of weeping into a well of joy.... and to praise Him. 

" Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion: for GREAT is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee." 

Isaiah 12: 6. 

HE is in the midst of me.

And so, I was encouraged to trust my Heavenly Father to be my strength... to help me turn the "valley of weeping"  into a well that springs forth in joyfulness... only through HIS help. 

May you draw with JOY from the LIVING water today....

~Ellie