A well dug well

⁵ Knowing what is right is like deep water in the heart;
   a wise person draws from the well within. 

(Proverbs 20:5 The Message)

⁵ Counsel in the heart of man is like water in a deep well, but a man of understanding draws it out.

(Proverbs 20:5 The Amplified Bible)

The digger of a well knows that once water is "hit", he may have to go a little deeper to get a "full-flow" of water.  The best is often hidden the deepest.  The well within is something that must be "tapped" in order to be of benefit to the one who needs its refreshment.  The deeper the well, the fresher the water.  The deeper we "tap into" Jesus, the fresher the source will be of all that we need in dry times.

Dry times are as assured as is the fact that life will one day be over for all of us.  We experience the dryness for lots of reasons - but all have the same end in mind - that we might "tap into" Jesus just a little deeper.  To really understand what it means to know refreshment, one must have experienced "thirst".  Nothing is more appreciated when one is "parched" by the dryness of soul, spirit, or emotion, than the sweet refreshing of the Spirit of God.

Nothing satisfies more than a cool drink on a hot day.  We lavish the coolness of that chilled drink on bodies that are hot, exhausted, and probably a little dehydrated.  In response to the refreshing of that drink, our bodies begin to "perk up" again - feeling re-hydrated for the journey ahead.  There is something pretty awesome about being spiritually "re-hydrated"!  If you are in a dry place today, the Spirit of God stands ready to lavish his refreshment upon you - that which comes from the well deep within.

I think the dehydrating things of life are as varied as we are individuals.  Anything in life can suck the energy right out of us.  Whenever we fail to "spiritually re-hydrate", we run the risk of spiritual weakness, anxiety, doubt, and hopelessness.  The "well within" is a cultivated source of strength.  It is during times of "taking in" what God gives that we refill our storehouses for the drier seasons of our lives.  A well that never "takes in" in sufficient quantities to "store up" is really not a well at all.

We need these times of dryness in order that we might "tap deeper" - so we can count on them coming.  If we go too long without "tapping a little deeper" into Jesus, we may find ourselves feeling a little parched in the spiritual sense.  A dry well is of no value to the one who need refreshing.  The well must be kept flowing - God's call today is to "tap a little deeper".  Our part in the process is to take a little time to "drill into" what God has already provided for our source of refreshment.

Well dug wells are like a fountain of vitality.  The wise know where to dig, how deep the next "find" will be, and they don't stop until they reach that point.  If you find the well a little dry today, perhaps it is time to "take in" a little more until those storehouses of God's refreshment are refilled and re-cultivated!

The Well Within

⁵ Knowing what is right is like deep water in the heart;
   a wise person draws from the well within. 

(Proverbs 20:5)

Knowing what is right and actually doing it are two entirely different things.  I know that it is right to drive the speed limit, but when I see all the other cars going 5-10 mph over the speed limit, it is much easier to "go with the flow" than to be dragging behind with cars swerving all around me.  When faced with a choice between what is right and what is clearly wrong, I should not be amazed at how freely we embrace the latter!  It is a common occurrence for us - it is part of our nature to choose the "wrong stuff", even when the "right stuff" is right there for the choosing.

How do we know what is right?  Too many times, we rely upon our experience to help us determine what is "right" in a circumstance.  For instance, if we have experienced the pain of a throbbing thumb after crushing it under the blow of a hammer, we can certainly associate with the fact that we now know that there is a "right" and a "wrong" way to hammer in a nail!  Don't get me wrong - there is no real substitute for human experience, but I don't need to experience "getting drunk" to see that it doesn't look all that fun!

Experience cannot be our only guide.  We can often miss stuff because we simply have not experienced it.  We each have limited experiences in some realms of life.  Some of us are single - we may not have experienced the tough days of marriage, the joys of deep companionship, or the drama of being so close to someone so totally your opposite.  But...we can learn much from the experiences of others who have walked that path!  The sharing of experience is one way we learn!

We want to have "experiences" that are right and true each and every time.  That is what Solomon is alluding to in this passage.  This type of 'consistent' experience is not just opinion or judgment - it is something that is a well-worn path in our life.  He likens it to a well, running deep, that just doesn't fail us.  The well within is only as deep as it has been "dug"!  Well-diggers usually stop when they find the flow of water.  God wants us to not stop at the development of a "trickle", but to dig a little deeper until we find the "gusher" of his supply!

The deeper the well, the more refreshing it is.  Why is that?  It is simply because what has been "stored up" in that well has been through a whole lot of "filtration" to get there!  Rains come, the water sinks deeper and deeper, through layers and layers of "filtering" soil/rock.  As it does, the "impurities" are "filtered out".  What we are left with is a pretty refreshing supply of water.  

The well has no outsource unless it is tapped.  If we just "take in" and never really "drill down" to see what is being stored up, we will never realize the awesomeness of the "well within".  Solomon wants us to learn to regularly "take in" so that we might have a "well within" that will sustain us in life's driest times.  We take much in - are we "tapping into" what we have stored within?  

Well-Diggers

⁵ Knowing what is right is like deep water in the heart;
   a wise person draws from the well within. 

(Proverbs 20:5)

There is a tendency to "over-think" things today.  We "work" a solution until it is what some call "fool-proof" and then we might take the steps to put it into action.  I find that I am more spontaneous than that - I like to try something before the idea has a chance to grow mold!  Most of the time, I come out all right.  There are occasional flops, but for the most part, the "spontaneous" solution was just as good as the "fool-proof" plan.

Now, don't get me wrong - there is a time for planning and not every half-baked idea is a good one!  I am no fool.  There is a well that lies deep within that we each can draw from when we need an immediate solution to a problem life deals us.  Whenever we take the steps to do exactly what God has reminded us to do in his Word, we are creating a deeper well to draw from.  What are those steps? Glad you asked!

• First, we must hide his word in our hearts.  That is more than just memorizing chapter and verse.  It is allowing the word of God to get deep into the core of our being - through study, meditation, and application of the word.  When we need to call upon the lessons we have learned, they will be there as guiding influences.
• Second, we must allow the Holy Spirit to take up residence in our lives.  We are given the gift of the Holy Spirit at the point of our conversion.  There is a very distinctive act - a point in time - when we invite him to truly "fill us" to overflowing with his presence.  At that point, there is a definite "infilling" of our lives with the power to live for Jesus.
• Third, we must engage with the Holy Spirit to see the fruits produced within that only he has the power to bring forth.  Fruit such as affection for others that stems from an attitude that is not simply focused on what WE can get out of the relationship, but is committed to being a blessing in the lives of others.  The fruit of the Spirit is evidence of the work of Christ in our lives.

When a believer allows these things to occur, there is a well of "wealth" to draw from when the time arises.  We look upon that person and call him "wise" because his every action seems to be "well-planned".  In fact, you are probably just witnessing the person living life with lots of "dips in the well" of faith.  They have frequented the "well of life" (Jesus) and now they have a "reliable well" to draw from when life hands them challenging moments.

Wells require some work, though.  They must first be dug in a place where there is hope for the flow of water.  That is why we "dig into" Jesus. Then they must be dug deep because the waters that come from deeper down are purer and much more refreshing.  They must be accessed - no well serves its purpose if it is just there for "wishing"!  

Become a "well-digger" today - you will be amazed how many times you will "tap into" the refreshing, reviving, and rejuvenation of the "well of life".