Joy

A few weeks ago, the Holy Spirit told me clearly, ‘With joy, you will draw water from the wells of salvation.’ (Isaiah 12: 3).

It's not a new scripture to me, so didn’t pay particular attention to what He said (always pay attention to the Holy Spirit - don’t ignore Him). About three weeks later, I was listening to a preacher (Rev. Christine Bature) and she was talking about that same scripture. She mentioned that joy is the drawing bucket (for those of us that come from countries where we have wells).

If you are familiar with a well, you will know that you can’t get water from the well unless you have a drawing bucket, a pail. In my language (Yoruba), we call it ‘ìfami.’

That was what the woman at the well in John 4 was asking Jesus when He said He’ll give her living water. She responded (I paraphrase), how do you intend to get water from this well when you don’t even have a drawing bucket?

Life is generally so challenging, so difficult for most people on earth. There’s bad news everywhere and every day. There’s more reason to be depressed daily. But yet, for the believer in Christ Jesus, in spite of all these difficulties and challenges, GOD’s promises stand sure. His promises are available to us daily.

How then can we begin to call forth and experience all these wonderful promises and blessings that GOD has promised? (In my experience, challenges of life, difficulties and decay all around can either make you mute or you start agreeing to the decay around you, start accepting it as life - normal).

How can a Christian begin to draw water from the wells of salvation? (Remember salvation in Greek is ‘sozo’). Salvation (Sozo) doesn’t mean forgiveness of sin alone, it means more. It means physical healing/wellbeing, deliverance from enemies. It means being whole and restored. So, how can I begin to get restoration of all I have lost; how can I get justice and deliverance from my enemies, how can I experience peace of mind in the midst of the storm of life, how can I even see that there is a future and a hope for me?

JOY! Joy is the drawing pail, the ‘ìfami.’ The joy of the LORD, when inside you, inside me, begins to give us strength - Nehemiah 8:10. When we are full of joy, strength comes and we begin to draw water from the wells of salvation. When you are strong and bold, then you start declaring the word and the will of GOD.

Listening to the preacher saying the same thing the Holy Spirit had mentioned to me prior, it did something in my spirit to rise up and start dealing with the perpetual sorrow and joylessness I had carried for so long. That was when I rose up and began to declare ‘the joy of the LORD is my strength. With joy I will draw water from the wells of salvation. I have joy - joy overflows in my heart.’

And because of that, I feel less sadness and been experiencing joy as a shoot in my heart. The more I declare the word of GOD, the more joy I have and so I’ve been declaring the word of GOD - what GOD says about me.

What promises has the LORD given you? Take the drawing pail the 'ìfami' of joy and begin to draw out water from the wells of divine health, peace, soundness of mind, love, prosperity, deliverance, among other things.

Dante Bowe’s song, ‘Joyful’ is apt for this encouragement -