Priming the Pump - Devotion for 10/8/08

Priming the Pump – Devotion for 10/8/08

Maybe you’re familiar with the old legend about someone being out in a desert, and stumbling upon a water pump in the sand. With an empty canteen in hand, the water pump is truly a welcome sight, but when lost soul finally gets to the pump he finds a hand written sign put there by some other wandering traveler. The sign reads: “I have buried a bottle of water to prime the pump – don’t drink any of it! Pour in half of it to wet the leather, and wait. Then pour in the rest. Then you may pump. The well has never gone dry, but the pump must be primed to bring the water up. Have faith and believe. When you are through drawing water, fill the bottle and bury it in the sand for the next traveler.” What would you do? Would you dig up the water bottle and drink it yourself? Or would you risk it all to prime the pump, so that you may actually have more than you would even need?

I thought about that legend this morning when I read Isaiah 40:29-31: “He gives strength to the weary, and to him who lacks might He increases power. Though youths grow weary and tired, and vigorous young men stumble badly, yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary.” I guess it just reminded me of the business principle that you’ve got to spend money to make money. We understand that principle easy enough: you’ve got to spend money on overhead and advertising, hiring excellent employees and maintaining an excellent product in order to be able to make money. Same with the water pump legend: you’ve got to use what water you’ve got to be able to get an abundant supply.

How does that translate to Isaiah? To get strength from God, you’ve got to use what strength He has already given. The passage doesn’t say that He gives strength to the strong, does it? Why would He do that? That’s kind of like recharging a fully charged battery – what’s the point? The passage is very clear that He gives strength to the weary, which completely implies that one has used all the strength they had to begin with. We live in a day and time where we are greedy not only with our resources, but also with the gifts and strengths that God has given to us. Today, let’s look for all the ways we can go ahead and use the strength we have already been given, and then see how we are restored when we become weary.