Lessons from the Desert: Living Water

This month at Pasture Living, I'm sharing what I learned during my Israel trip and why I think this series is very relevant to healthy living. I believe being physically healthy is important, but being mentally, psychologically, and spiritually healthy is also extremely important for a fulfilling and joyful life. If you missed any of this series, click here.

Advent Day 7

Passage Reading: Jeremiah 2:13

We saw this amazing well-preserved underground cistern, from which people drew water in the olden days. During the rainy seasons between October to March, rainwater was stored in the cisterns. It is nice to draw water when the water level is high, but when it’s almost gone, the water at the bottom of the cistern is yucky and dirty.

Cistern, photo taken from the top. In the olden days,
you would go down the steps to get water.

"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

Fresh fruits versus bottled juices. Pastured eggs versus egg beaters. Pure honey versus high fructose corn syrup. Homemade bone broth versus MSG. Home-cooked meals versus fast food or frozen, processed food. The alternatives don't look too bad through their appearance and they even taste good. But those empty calories never satisfy us. We are hungry and thirsty all the time because our body doesn't get the nutrition it needs. Drinking water from broken cisterns is just like eating food and drinks ladened with artifical flavorings. They may look and taste just fine, but it never quenches our thirst. God promised us living water. The kind of water that will quench our thirst and refreshes our soul.

A beautiful Psalm 23 song to fill our hearts:

So which do we want to choose: water from broken cisterns or living water?