Morning & Evening Daily Devotional Reading– September 13

by Charles H. Spurgeon, Revised and Edited by William C. Neff

“…those who pass through the valley of Baca and make it into a well with rain filling the pools.”

—Psalm 84:6

The comfort obtained by one Christian in difficult times may often prove helpful to another– just as a well dug by the work of one man can be used by many who later come to it.

We may read some book full of consolation which seems to be like Jonathan’s rod dripping with honey. We think to ourselves, “Ah! Our brother has been here before us and has dug this well not only for himself but for us too! Many a night of weeping has become a pilgrim’s well to refresh others on the way.

We especially notice this in the Psalms themselves; for instance, we read the psalmist’s question, “Why are you cast down, O my soul?” God’s travelers have been delighted to see the footprint of man on a barren shore. We’re encouraged to see the blazed trail of pilgrims while passing through the vale of tears.

Notice, however, that the pilgrims dig the wells, but heaven fills them with rain. The horse is prepared against the day of battle, but safety is of the Lord. The Lord uses the wells, but the wells themselves do not produce the blessing. It is the rain that fills the pools so that the wells become useful as reservoirs for the water; man’s labor is not lost, but it does not supersede divine help. Grace may well be compared to rain for its purity, for its refreshing and life-giving influence, for its coming alone from above, and for the sovereignty with which it is given or withheld.

May we have showers of blessing, and may the wells that have been dug before us be filled with the water of God’s grace! [M&E]