And Isaac digged again the wells of water, which they had digged in the days of Abraham his father; for the Philistines had stopped them after the death of Abraham: and he called their names after the names by which his father had called them. – Genesis 26:18
My parents have a well on their property. It is close to two-hundred-feet deep, but they still do not get enough water out of it. The problem is that well diggers cannot tell you exactly where a good water source will be or if there will be gushing water five feet deeper; it is more of a guessing game. Considering the monetary investment required to dig, I am sure my dad wondered how deep to go, and whether it would pay off to go a little further. At some point, he just cut his losses and decided to live with what he had. It seems they just dug in the wrong spot.
Our focus verse comes from the story of Isaac looking for a place to dig a well. He was blessed to know where his father had already found water, although the wells had been stopped up since his father’s time. So Isaac decided to go back to those places and dig the wells again, and I would imagine that doubt and fear probably came to him as he did. Would the water be there for him like it was for his father? How deep would they need to dig? He had to push those thoughts aside. It was hard work, no doubt, but in the end they did not just find a drop of water—it was “a well of springing water.” It was water that met and exceeded his need.
Christians also dig wells. We dig where our elders dug before us—at the wells of salvation, sanctification, and the baptism of the Holy Ghost. We have heard the reports that there is enough living water to keep us in God’s will, to give us peace and contentment, and to overcome every obstacle. This Gospel is a well of springing water where we can find blessing! And while it is good to know the promises in God’s Word, there comes a point when we have to prove them for ourselves. It is not enough for others to tell us; we need to take hold of them personally. We have to dig these wells for ourselves.
The enemy will try to put doubts in our minds about whether the promises will work for us, but we have to push aside his lies. We do not want to settle for just a cup full, or enough to whet the appetite, we want to be satisfied! We know where the wells are, so we need to roll up our sleeves and start digging. It does not matter how long it takes, only that we pray until we have struck water—until we know we have touched the Throne of Grace—and God is faithful to help us do that. He did it for Isaac, and He will do it for us too.