LIFE GIVING WATERS
AUSTRALIA’S great economic problem is its water supply. Most of the inland rivers run dry, as there are not great inland mountains to bring a rainfall like that of the eastern coast. Yet how little did the early explorers and settlers dream that beneath the surface of some of the most parched areas were the waters of the great artesian basins, waiting to burst upwards and to bring new life and hope and prosperity to millions of acres that would otherwise be of little value!
Nearly one-third of the continent has been blessed with this marvellous provision for the need of man. There are six large basins, covering approximately one million square miles, the largest of these being the Great Australian Basin, 600,000 square miles in extent. While some bores are only a few feet down, the deepest is over 7,000 feet. From such a depth the water shoots upward with great force and is boiling.
Thousands of miles of bore drains carry the water through large properties, bringing prosperity which would never have come otherwise. Great expanses of country, particularly in Western Australia, would not have been settled at all but for these life-giving waters.
A WELL SPRINGING UP INTO EVERLASTING LIFE
Just as God has made provision for the physical needs of man, so He had made provision for the needs of the spirit. Beneath the surface of visible human life there is an inexhaustible supply of “living water”, the very life of God for dying men and women. Beside Jacob’s well long ago, the Son of God said to a sinful woman,
“Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again. But whosoever shall drink of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life” (John 4:14).
This mysterious water is like Australia’s artesian reservoirs: it is a hidden supply. The careless, the selfish and the cynical, tramp over the surface of life without discerning the most precious gifts of God. But this supply of living water is available for all who really want it and who realise their need.
The Lord Jesus said, “If any man thirst let him come unto me and drink” (John 7:37).
He referred to the thirsty soul and, for such, this water is a free gift. God does not put a meter on the artesian water and charge by the gallon. He gives it freely, whether it is deserved or not, and so He offers the infinitely Greater Gift. “The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” You do not have to beg for a gift, but only to accept it.
Furthermore, the artesian water is there in abundance. Some exceptional bores yield up to three million gallons a day. If you are thirsty, you may drink as much as you will. There is plenty for all your need. God never gives things in a miserly manner. There is a mighty provision for our salvation. He will abundantly pardon. He is “plenteous in mercy”. He will meet all the needs of your life whatever they may be with an overflowing supply. Only come and you will find all that your heart can desire.
EVERLASTING SATISFACTION
Then this wonderful artesian water does not need to be pumped to the surface. No windmills or engines are required. In fact most bores have to be regulated to prevent waste. Only tap the supply and up comes the water! The world has to keep on pumping for its pleasures. They do not last. When the pumping ceases the supply fails. But the gift of living water not only quenches our thirst, it does so forever! It is within us “a well of water springing up into everlasting life.” Here is something that satisfies indeed.
Above the surface the land may be drought- stricken for months or years. The artesian wells flow on day and night, irrespective of any conditions that may prevail. So the life that God gives will satisfy and flow on within our hearts when all the world around is troubled and when it knows no way of relief from its burning thirst. Here is something that meets our need in troubles as well as in times of prosperity. The true Christian life is independent of circumstances, and can live through everything that comes — yes even through death itself! This life never dies.
When Sturt’s desperate men came to the Darling River for the first time, long ago, they rushed to slake their thirst in a water-hole in the bed of the river. But alas, they had a bitter disappointment. The water was too salty to drink! A little later, Hume, a good bushman, led them to fresh water and they were satisfied at last.
Have you been seeking satisfaction in the things of a dying world. Then you will “thirst again”. Not only has the world no secret of lasting satisfaction; what it offers only aggravates the thirst instead of quenching it. Come, leave the paltry things of this fleeting life and accept God’s offer of living water, which refreshes, satisfies, and never runs dry.
Written by: W. Arnold Long
Taken from: The Bushman’s Guide
p.70-72
Acknowledgement : CHRISTIAN BOOK ROOM
P. O. Box 95413 T.S.T. Kowloon Hong Kong S.A.R.of China
Photo by: Hobby Tobby