Better Days Ahead

But you, Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, the offspring of Abraham, my friend; you whom I took from the ends of the earth, and called from its farthest corners, saying to you, “You are my servant, I have chosen you and not cast you off”; fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. (Isaiah 41:8-10 ESV).

I find old windmills and Texas sunrises especially inspiring! Maybe it’s because the image takes me to a particular thought of encouragement leading to strength for my journey. There are so many different types of windmills along the Texas landscape. Early wind pumps directly operated the pump shaft from a crank attached to the rotor of the windmill; the installation of back gearing between wind rotor and pump crank allowed the pump to function at lower wind speeds. These mills, made by a variety of manufacturers, featured a large number of blades so that they would turn slowly with considerable torque in low winds and be self-regulating in high winds. A tower-top gearbox and crankshaft converted the rotary motion into reciprocating strokes carried downward through a rod to the pump cylinder below. They have nearly disappeared over the years, although rising costs of energy to drive other types of pumps is causing a slight surge back to these old styles of pumps. But, that information is just background for the reason they are inspiration to me. You see, we have a windmill in our front yard. It’s only ten feet tall and merely decorative. Now, it looks exactly like a genuine windmill. The fan is real, the tail works to point the fan in the best direction to catch the wind precisely; however, it is not connected to a water source. For a windmill to really work it must be connected to the water below the ground. It does not produce water; it merely pumps it from the source. This is the point of our reading today. The prophet is reminding his readers that God is their source. They don’t need to do anything more than let the wind blow. They, like us, are already connected irrevocably to the source of Living Water. It is a source that always fills, refreshes, and heals. It can never run dry. It can never be polluted. It is always constant. All we need do is go to the pump! Maybe you need to remember that today. Perhaps you are facing health issues that seem impossible to bear; perhaps it’s a financial challenge that seems overwhelming; or, it could be a relational division with someone you care for deeply. All of these produce a “thirst” that can only be quenched by the cool refreshing water of our Redeemer. Go back to your “well.” The windmill is already pumping it to the surface for you to drink as deeply as you may need!