Planet Earth could be renamed Planet Water. Although 75% of the Earth’s surface is water, only 1% is drinkable. Nations battle to keep this resource to themselves, building huge reservoirs and constructing dams to divert it for their own needs. Even at home, drought restrictions remind us to think carefully about our use of this precious substance.

In this passage from Isaiah, God promises water: the barren desert will burst forth with growth (Isaiah 41:17–20). The prophet’s words show the importance of water and the difference it can make in people’s lives.

Lack of water—or being forced to drink unhealthy water—is the biggest single cause of disease and death in the world today. Giving people clean water allows them to flourish. Crops can be grown, communities can be developed, families can bathe and children who otherwise would spend all day searching for water have a chance to get an education. Water can bring life to barren lives just as it can cause the desert to bloom.

Reflect:

What does God promise to provide in this passage? If you lived in a drought-impacted area, how would these promises make you feel?

What areas of the world are you aware of right now that are experiencing a drought?

Live it:

Consider donating money toward the construction of a well in a country that desperately needs clean water.

Pray:

You, Lord, can turn deserts into lakes and scorched land into flowing streams. Help us to work with you to channel water toward people who desperately need it.

Next: Day 15 of 40

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While fasting for 40 days in the desert, Jesus was tempted by the devil to turn stones into bread (Matthew 4:2-4). He countered the temptation with a quotation from Scripture (Deuteronomy 8.3). His fasting proved that humans can indeed live without food for a time. But we cannot live without the word of God. Only God’s Word can sustain us when we are in need.

Throughout the world, there are people who are hungry for the Word of God— a hunger resulting from not having Scriptures in their language, not having affordable Bibles, or because the Bible is banned in their country. People in such places treasure each scrap of the Bible they can get their hands on. They know what Jesus knew: “What God has said isn’t only alive and active! It is sharper than any double-edged sword” (Hebrews 4.12).

Many of us in the U.S. have more than one Bible. They’re easy to obtain. Bibles weren’t meant to gather dust on a bookshelf. They’re meant to be used to bring life to the hopeless and the weary.

Reflect:

How has the Word of God helped you when you’re tempted or facing some other pressing need? How do you show that you treasure the Word of God?

One of the services we can offer people is to feed them with the Word of God, providing them with the spiritual nourishment they need. People need both bread and Bibles. How will you “feed” someone with God’s Word this week?

Pray:

Lord, thank you for revealing yourself through your Word. Your law is in my heart. I am happy and willing to listen and obey.

Next: Day 14 of 40

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