A large portion of Genesis chapter 26 portrays Isaac the patriarch in a characteristic phase of his life as a peacemaker. He prospered in the land of the Philistines, due to the blessing of the Lord upon him. And the Philistines showed their envy towards him by filling up the wells which his father Abraham had dug. Wells were very important in those days, especially in that area. Water was scarce; there were few rivers or streams, and so it was necessary to dig wells to obtain water for both man and beast. The Philistines did great harm, therefore, to Isaac and to the country when they filled up the wells. At last the king of the Philistines commanded Isaac to go out of his land.

Isaac moved on and began to clear out the old wells that his father had dug, which the Philistines had filled up. There is continual opportunity in this world for us to re-open old wells which have been filled up and rendered useless. The devil is always trying to destroy the fountains of good in a community. It is sad to see an abandoned church building falling into decay, where the Gospel was once preached every Lord’s Day. It is a sad thing to know of a home where there was once a family altar, but now the old well of grace and goodness has been filled up. It is a holy work to clear out these wells, so that the water of life may flow in them again.

But in addition to cleaning out old wells, Isaac’s servants also dug a new well and found a fountain of springing water. Wherever we go these days, we should seek to “dig a well” by starting some blessing which has not been there before. No one should be content to live anywhere, even for a little while, without doing something which will make his stay there a blessing to others. There are always opportunities by which we can make our neighborhood more beautiful, and a better place to live in. Concerning a Christian girl who went to be with her Savior at an early age, one of her friends said, “Everywhere she went, flowers grew in the path behind her.” She was an encourager, an inspirer, a comforter, and a sharer of burdens to everyone who knew her.

There are countless ways of starting a blessing wherever we are living. We do not need to have millions of dollars in order to be a blessing. Simply living a sweet life is one way of digging a well whose waters will refresh others. To find an unhappy home and change it into a home of love and peace – that will set a blessing in motion, whose influence will go on forever. To change one unhappy person into happiness, to give quiet peace to one anxious woman, or to bless one little child – that is digging a well which will become an enduring blessing. We should never allow a day to pass without doing a kindness which will make some heart glad and some life better. Wherever you go, be sure to dig a well!

How can you dig a well of refreshment and blessing in your home today?

All for our King’s glory,
Christian

The thoughts in this article have been adapted from J. R. Miller.

image: well at Beersheba, by SDG  |  Lightstock.com