Focus: Life's Essential (Part 2)

Text: Gen.25:11

"And it came to pass after the death of Abraham, that God blessed Isaac; and Isaac dwelt by the well Lahai-roi."

Beyond having all of Abraham's wealth, Isaac needed God's blessing to experience the good life. Success in life begins with God's blessing. Imagine existence without God's blessing!

But after the blessing Isaac did something. Our text says, "Isaac dwelt by the well..."

He decided to live close to a well or spring of water. This is wisdom. God's blessing enables us to think and act wisely. In fact, to be blessed of God means to be divinely empowered. With God's blessing one can adequately and confidently face life and its challenges, and be sure of good success and divine triumph.

Water is essential to life. At that time people could enter into covenant with you simply for your water. Water was a big asset. Who can live or survive this life without water? They needed water to effectively and successfully execute war. Foes would gladly seek for your friendship if you have wells of water. You become lord of a whole area because of water. Having wells give you negotiating power, influence, and advantageous position. You determine a whole lot by it. You become a man in charge. And getting a well in those days was not an easy feat. It was extremely difficult to locate a place that has water in it. So hard to find. And to own a well was a big deal.

So Isaac lived by the well Lahai-roi. That is a well with history. Remember when Sarah's maid ran away from her mistress? The Angel of the Lord found her by this fountain (Gen.16:7,13,14). At another time, when she finally left the Sarah, Hagar found herself in the middle of nowhere, and the Bible records that "God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went, and filled the bottle with water, and gave the lad drink" - Gen.21:19.

It is a well or fountain with history, known as the well of God who sees me. Now Isaac lived by this well. Jacob described Joseph as "a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well" - Gen.49:22.

I encourage you to live close to God's well - the well of the God with a watchful eye. The God who knows us in and out. We need this well, this spring, this fountain of the Spirit! Jesus says the Spirit would be WITH us - proximity, and be IN us - intimacy. That is nearness and inwardness.

You can't afford to live far away from the Holy Spirit. He is the Well of living water.

God's blessing and God's well - that's life's essential. You go nowhere without them. But with them the good life is guaranteed. As you set out for life, make sure that you have God's blessing and that you are living by God's well.

Long for the Spirit's presence, prominence, preeminence and power in your life. Amen.

by Bishop Moses E. Peter