BE A FAUCET AND NOT A DRAIN

God is the source of our hope. The psalmist declared, “And now, Lord, for what did I wait? My hope is in You)” (Psalm 39:7). A Christian’s goal should be to pour joy and the hope of God into the lives of others. There is so much negativity, craziness, and uncertainty in the world that we need to daily nourish the mind, spirit, and soul with God’s Word to prevent our own draining of hope, joy, and trust in Christ. Though we can appreciate the beauty of God’s creation, we also see the worst of humanity that can dampen our confidence in God and create a feeling of hopelessness for the future.

The world is brimming with hurting people who are looking for hope. So, what is hope? It is a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen. The Old Testament believers were encouraged to wait for God hopefully and expectantly. In times of trouble, we are encouraged to wait for the Lord, who can take what appears to be a hopeless situation and turn it into a blessing.

The Psalmist provided us with prayers of hope: “May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope, LORD, is in You” (Psalm 25:21); “I wait for the LORD, my whole being waits, and in His Word I put my hope” (Psalm 130:5). For hope is an act of faith, “…so it lifts up our heart—weary, hopeless, skeptical, uncertain, angry, disappointed and fearful heart to God” (Lamentations 3:40-41).

Jesus created a pattern for us to follow—a poured out life of service to God and to others. He said, “…the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28 NIV). The apostle Paul said to the Philippians, “But even if I am poured out as a drink offering on the sacrifice and serve of your faith, I rejoice and share my joy with you all” (Philippians 2:18).

In the Old Testament, a Jewish priest would pour a drink offering of wine beside the altar to symbolize his dedication in worship to God. Paul believed that in pouring his life out for others was an act of worship to God. Now in the new covenant, we offer ourselves—our bodies and minds—in service to others and to God, presenting our bodies to Him as His instruments of hope and truth though His Word.

John the Baptist came to introduce us to the Hope of the world—Jesus Christ who said, “I came into the world to bear witness to the Truth (John 18:37-38). Jesus Christ is the embodiment of all hope and Truth which belongs to God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. There is no other truth. Those who do not know Jesus often say, “Your truth is your truth, and my truth is my truth.” The fact is that Jesus is the only way, THE TRUTH, and the life that leads to the Father (John 14:6).

The apostle Paul wrote letters to Timothy, whom he called his “beloved son” in the faith. He counseled him that there were things he must teach and insist on. “If anyone teaches otherwise and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, they are conceited and understand nothing (I Timothy 6:3-4 NIV).

Paul then cautioned Timothy that as a disciple and representative of Christ, he was to “pursue righteousness [true goodness, moral conformity to the character of God], godliness [the fear of God], faith, love, steadfastness, and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith [in the conflict with evil]; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and for which you made the good confession” (Timothy 6:11-12). Paul further instructed Timothy to guard what had been entrusted to his care. “Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge, which have professed and in so doing have departed from the faith.” (1 Timothy 6:20-21 NLT). If we are followers of Christ, then we are His disciples who represent Him.

Representatives of Christ are exhorted to be less concerned with their own interests and look to the interests of others (Philippians 2:4). As reported in Phycology Today, neuroscientists have proven that “Helping others triggers a release of oxytocin, which has the effect of boosting our mood and counteracts the effects of cortisol (the stress hormone). Interestingly, the higher our levels of oxytocin, the more we want to help others. When oxytocin is present, so is serotonin which plays a key role in mood, sleep, digestion, nausea, wound healing, bone health, and blood clotting. Also booked is dopamine which controls memory, movement, motivation, mood, attention and more.”

God promises that in pouring our lives out for others and satisfying the desires of those in need, He will make us strong and satisfy our desires. In fact, He promises to make us like a spring whose waters never fail. If we are like a faucet, pouring living water of refreshing to others, even if we are struggling with something, God will start a miraculous work in us. He will fill us with an everlasting abundance of refreshing water to keep us going as we bring refreshing and hope to others. That is how we become a fountain of hope instead of becoming drained of hope, strength, vitality, and energy.

The most important way that we can be a faucet of living water is to pray for others. “Devote yourselves to prayer being watchful and thankful” (Colossians 4:2 NIV). Prayer is the greatest gift that we can give to others. In fact, the Word of God tells us to “…rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus (1Thessalonians 5:16-18).

It is important to note that we give thanks in all things and not for all things as we patiently wait for answered prayer. In giving thanks, we are acknowledging that we trust God regardless of the circumstances, and that we believe that all things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purposes (Romans 8:28). If we truly believe that truth, then we can become a fountain of life and hope instead of a drain that sweeps away hope and faith.

Prayer: FATHER, help me to be a faucet that pours forth Your living water of hope, peace, and joy to others. In Jesus name, amen.

Picture Courtesy of 3345408 from Pixabay