“Those who are out to get me are marked for doom, marked for death, bound for hell. They’ll die violent deaths; jackals will tear them limb from limb. But the king is glad in God; his true friends spread the joy, while small-minded gossips are gagged for good.” - Psalm 63: 9-11 (The Message)

We all face desert circumstances in our lives. Places where we hang onto life with a tenacity fueled only by our desperation. Times when we can do nothing more than cling to the tiny shred of hope that still remains.

A loved one dies, we receive a terrifying medical diagnosis, a close friend betrays us, we are laid off from our job. We’ve all been there in one form or another. And we know that sooner or later we will all be there again.

David reminds us to look toward God in these times. David says to be glad in Him. This is not to say that we should stuff our grief and hide our pain. God is the One who made us to love. And He knows that in loving we open ourselves up to the grief of losing. But He is there with and for us, even in our most barren landscapes.

Sometimes, in the depth of our pain, we have to be reminded of His loving presence. We need friends who are willing to sit by the well in the heat of the day in order to offer us a cool drink of water from the well. Friends who speak words of life over us

And we need to be those kind of friends. We need to be people who are willing to stay near the well, with open eyes and tender hearts, to welcome the hurting that pass our way.

Questions to Consider:

• Consider the way that you use your words on a daily basis. Are you using words to encourage and build others up or something else?

• Who might God have sent toward your well? How could you offer them a drink of cool water?

• The office water cooler and coffee pots are modern-day version of the well. What other places and situations provide you with regular opportunities to interact with other people? How can you use these opportunities to offer Living Water?

Prayer: Spend some time thanking God for the people He has worked through to offer refreshment during the dry and barren seasons of your life. Ask God to open your eyes and ears to the needs of those around you, and to help you make space in your heart and life to welcome them to the well of His Living Water.