digging wells - part 2 ...

okay. been otherwise inspired the past couple of days, but didn’t forget about this one.

then isaac dug again the wells of water which had been dug in the days of his father abraham, for the philistines had stopped them up after the death of abraham; and he gave them the same names which his father had given them. but when isaac’s servants dug in the valley and found there a well of flowing water, the herdsmen of gerar quarreled with the herdsmen of isaac, saying, “the water is ours!” so he named the well esek, because they contended with him. then they dug another well, and they quarreled over it too, so he named it sitnah. he moved away from there and dug another well, and they did not quarrel over it; so he named it rehoboth, for he said, “at last the LORD has made room for us, and we will be fruitful in the land.”

this passage from genesis 26 has become one of my favorites in the past couple of years as i have watched God unearth old wells, and take me to new ones, free from strife.

the first set of wells represent parts of your past that have been stopped up. like i mentioned in part 1, burying an issue doesn’t make it go away. isaac had to go back and reopen his father’s wells in order to fully move on. it’s no accident that these wells had been filled in after the death of abraham - the father of israel’s promise. how often, after season’s of great promise and faith, does satan love to come in and try to stop up our life source, keeping us from taking an honest look at our past, and making us forget who we are and what has been spoken.

once isaac had uncovered the old wells, he kept the name his father had given them. he knew that things from your past need to stay there. a stagnant well isn’t going to start flowing freely just because you change its name. that‘s not to say that the process of digging up the old wells wasn’t important, for it was in doing so that they uncovered the new wells of flowing water. but it’s probably not going to be easy. isaac’s servants were digging in the valley. digging up old stuff is hard work, and it will likely take you to some low places.

unfortunately, the new wells you discover will also probably not be without contention. there was a great debate over the first two wells of flowing water that isaac’s servants uncovered. if satan has been taking up residence in an area of your life for quite some time, don’t expect him to give up territory without a fight. but don’t quit digging. there was no quarrel over the third well that they dug, and they named it rehoboth, which means wide spaces.

if we are willing to do the work of uncovering old wells from our past, digging new wells to find flowing water, and fighting for what is ours until there is no more debate, then we can be assured that God will bring us to a place of rest and fruitfulness in Him.

the Lord is my shepherd; i have all that i need. He lets me rest in green meadows; He leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength ... even when i walk through the darkest valley, i will not be afraid, for You are close beside me ... you prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honor me by anointing my head with oil. my cup overflows with blessings. surely Your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and i will live in the house of the Lord forever. (psalm 23:1-3a, 4a, 5-6)