My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water (Jeremiah 2:13).

[Editor’s Note: because our writing team had the week off between Christmas and New Year’s, our Connect Devotionals got a week behind the preaching and home group study schedules.  We’re now back in sync with those schedules.]

I grew up in the Ozarks of Missouri. The area is known for many things, but one of them is its abundance of clear running water: specifically, rivers and springs. Every summer there were numerous trips to float the Ozark National Scenic Riverway in canoes or tubes, and there would always be a stop along the way to visit a spring. The air temperature and humidity levels change before you can actually see the water, and the vegetation and noise often change, too. Some springs are roaring, while others bubble quietly from underground. All are clear, and all have stable year round temperatures that make for unique ecosystems not commonly found in the surrounding rivers. Springs are truly life giving, and at the end of a long day in the hot sun they are especially refreshing.

By contrast, a cistern is a vessel used to protect and store rainwater. There was actually an old cistern in a corner of the basement at our house in Minot. It’s a short term storage solution in dry climates, and a broken cistern allows germs and bacteria to infiltrate the water. Stagnant water in a dark, damp basement corner versus the freshness of moving spring water and the sweetness in the air surrounding it: the mental image could not be more different! 

It wouldn’t make sense to make use of a cistern when a spring is close at hand. We are never without our “spring of living water,” and yet we continually find ourselves digging holes for cisterns, and poorly constructed ones at that!

My husband and I have one fiercely independent child, and that child will fail one thousand times before asking mom or dad for help...and maybe not even then! It’s incredibly frustrating for me as a parent. I’m always close by, I’m willing and able to offer help, but I’m often ignored until said child’s world is (figuratively :) ) on fire. The parallels between the parent/child relationship and my relationship with God are not lost on me. How many times have I chosen to act independently instead of turning to Him for help?

Are there habits you’ve allowed to creep into your life since Covid came on the scene? We’ve all done our best to adapt to this new situation, but I’ll be the first to admit not all of my coping mechanisms have been healthy. Is there an area of your life you need to take to the Father? Take a break from digging your own cistern, and spend some time enjoying the sweetness of the “spring of living water” today.