147. Guidance, Satisfaction, Refreshment
Isaiah 58:11 And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.
Here are some amazing promises of the Good Shepherd’s love and care for us. The Lord promises to guide us to still waters and green pastures continually. He will never stop leading us onto the pleasant path. The guidance of the Lord Jesus Christ never fails us. Sin leads us astray and leaves us lost in a wilderness of worry and stress. While we might mistakenly blame God for our predicament, He still loves us, searches for us, finds us and brings us back to the good and safe place. We will go astray and lose the Way, but The Guide knows, cares, finds, and restores.
Sometimes we experience spiritually dry periods, but during the drought the Lord will satisfy the soul. In any and every condition we can always be content, satisfied, fat, full, and happy. Our outward circumstances may make us spiritually poor, empty and unfulfilled. When the world, the devil and our flesh cause us to be hungry, thirsty and empty in the soul, it is time to turn to the Lord in repentance and faith: He will satisfy the soul and make fat the bones. “Fat” is a Biblical metaphor for luxurious fullness, actually having more than we really need. The Lord is extravagant in forgiveness, love, and kindness, always providing even more than the basics of life and health of the soul. We don’t deserve it and we didn’t work for it, but Jesus earned it for us, and from His bursting store of grace He abundantly provides. The Gospel is “for us” all the time.
The refreshments of the Spirit are often likened to fresh and flowing water. The Holy Spirit is like constantly flowing rivers of living water flowing out of the belly. By faith we live in a lush and beautiful garden with a constant irrigation stream of goodness and mercy all the days of our life and forever after. Though we are always close to living is parched and dry conditions, we are promised fresh flowing life-giving water for the soul. Listen to the Gospel Word and believe the promises.