Isa 12:3 Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.

       

Isaiah 12 is a song of rejoicing and thanksgiving for the day of the Messiah and that a remnant will be saved. In view of God’s great mercies, Isaiah says: “Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation” (v.3). Shall ye draw water – The wells are provided but we have to draw the waters ourselves. Our Lord is the fountain of living waters (John 4:10). But Christ cannot save us if we sit in passive inactivity. We must reach out and draw forth what He has provided; we have to come to Him to quench our thirst: “If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink” (John 7:37). Out of the wells of salvation – The land of Palestine is not a land of lush greeneries and many rivers. For the most part, it is like wilderness. When we compare the semi-arid climate of Israel, we see what a beautiful picture the wells of salvation paint. Water is life. We remember the murmurings the children of Israel made when they were wandering in the wilderness. They were thirsty. When water is rare, a well is salvation. In those days, wells are important. To have a place where one can continually come and draw forth water is heavenly. Jesus promised us whoever drinks of the water that He shall give him will never thirst. And, the water that He shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life. (John 4:13, 14). We can come to Jesus and draw water from the wells of salvation! You may have observed Isaiah says “wells” and not “well”. It doesn’t mean that there are many ways to be saved, or many ways to go to heaven. The Scripture says Jesus is the only way to the Father (John 14:6). All of the wells draw forth from the same reservoir of salvation.  Jesus is the fountain that supplies waters to the wells. Therefore with joy – The waters that flow out of the wells of salvation bring healing and hope. The result is the person who comes to the well that spring up into eternal life shall rejoice over his salvation. But, are we always “drawing the waters” with joy? A eunuch from Ethiopia went away joyfully after drawing up water from the well (Acts 8:39). But, are we joyful? I’m afraid that sometimes we may be “drawing” from the waters of salvation without joy. And, the reason is not because we are experiencing adversity, sorrow, or mourning. The reason is faithless. Without faith, we are simply going through the motions of worship. I always love Psalm 122:1. The Psalmist says in that psalm: “I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD.” The Psalmist loves the house of prayers and worship. He exhorts all to come to the Lord with a joyful heart: “Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee: let such as love thy salvation say continually, The LORD be magnified” (Psalm 40:16). If you have lost the joy of your salvation, you need to pray like the Psalmist: “Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; And uphold me with a willing spirit” (Psalm 51:12, ASV). He asked to be restored if he had lost his joy in his salvation. He prayed for a willing spirit, a spirit that willingly desires to worship God instead of compelled to. I hope you are coming to church with a willing heart to worship God and not because the elders told you to. If you are simply going through the motions, instead of drawing with joy, you need to be restored or you will not only lose your joy of salvation but your salvation.