ISAIAH 44:2-3
"Thus says the Lord who made you and formed you from the womb, who will help you: 'Fear not, O Jacob My servant; and you, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen. For I will pour water on him who is thirsty, and flood on the dry ground; I will pour My Spirit on your descendants, and my blessing on your offspring."
The Spirit's touch is promised to Israel's descendants. God would not leave his people in a desolate condition, thirsty and without water, just barely hanging on in life. Salvation was coming.
While thirst and drought are very real conditions, the Scriptures speak here of the thirst that comes upon a people who are not filled with the Spirit. When God's people shun his word, the Spirit leaves us in the desert until we repent and return to God. In a sense, this is the same as our salvation, as we are restored to God in repentance.
Of course, this salvation would come to those thirsting for righteousness with the coming of Jesus. One interpretation is that Christ is the literal fulfillment of references to the blessing on Israel's offspring. Another view is that this prophecy was fulfilled when the descendants of those taken captive from Israel by Babylon were released to return to Jerusalem to experience the blessing of the Lord after 70 years in exile.
Regardless of the interpretation, I believe the promises of God are likely to be passed from generation to generation when God's people are faithful to the Spirit living within us. When our children see our faith in Jesus Christ, they naturally are drawn to our Lord's love.
While this doesn't always happen, it tends to be the rule for those who live daily in the blessings of the Spirit. For those in whose families this doesn't hold true, our only responsibility is to be faithful to God and leave the Spirit's work to the Lord.
LORD JESUS
Lord, I thank you for the blessing of your Spirit upon the dryness of my life and the promise of your presence with future generations. Amen.
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