“Therefore with joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation” (Isaiah 12:3).
A young man recently visited our church. I was told that he had given his heart to Jesus in one of our small groups. The first day he attended church, this young man –who seemingly had no prior church experience– went to the altar during worship. On his knees, with lifted hands, he worshipped God.
A few days later, at our midweek service, he brought a friend and introduced him to Jesus. This young man also got saved. And then the following service, just a week after his first visit, he brought his cousin. As worship began, the first young man, and his newly saved friend, brought the cousin to the altar and the three of them bowed their knees, lifted their hands and worshipped God. Later in the service, the cousin also gave his heart to Jesus.
These young men had undoubtedly come from a dry and thirsty world that had nothing satisfying to offer them. But with great satisfaction, they drank from the wells of salvation.
Notice the Bible uses a plural word here… wells.
In other words, salvation was never meant to be a one-time drink. There are WELLS OF SALVATION. This is why Jesus called it “living water” (John 4:10). The Message Translation says, “Joyfully you’ll pull up buckets of water from the wells of salvation!”
By definition, salvation is the result of a person’s confession of Jesus as their Lord, thus receiving Him as Savior and forgiveness for sins. But the word salvation literally has 5 meanings:
- Deliverance: “Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and He delivered [freed, released, saved, and rescued] them out of their distresses” (Psalm 107:6).
- Safety: “The Name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe [guarded, intact, protected, and sheltered]” (Proverbs 18:10).
- Preservation: “The Lord preserves [defends, keeps, shields, and upholds] all who love Him…” (Psalm 145:20).
- Healing: “He sent His Word and healed [made well, made whole, mended, and improved] them, and delivered them from their destructions” (Psalm 107:20).
- Soundness of Mind: “He stores up sound [effectual, perfect, solid, and vibrant] wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk uprightly” (Proverbs 2:7).
There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t need to take a drink from one or all of these wells! And it blesses me to think of these newly saved young men who have received (and will continue to receive) deliverance, safety, preservation, healing, and soundness of mind –in Christ!
So, just in case you somehow thought salvation was a one-time experience, think again… Take a BIG drink today from God’s Word and His Presence. And as you drink in His goodness, remember there’s plenty to share!
