The Well in the Wilderness - Part 1
The Well Is Always Here
There is a well inside each of us, the place God designed to be filled with His life, His joy, and His presence. Scripture says, “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life” (Proverbs 4:23).
The heart is where we come alive. It’s where joy bubbles up, where peace settles in, and where God whispers His love. And the good news is this: the well is never empty. Even when life feels rushed, noisy, or distracting, His living water is always flowing.
The Canteen Runs Dry
Picture yourself in the desert with the sun beating down. You reach for your canteen, but when you tip it to your lips, only a few drops fall. The thirst is real. The desperation sets in. You know that without water, you won’t make it much farther.
Our souls carry a canteen too. We try to fill it with things we think will sustain us, achievements, busyness, relationships, comfort, even good things. But no matter how much we pour in, it leaks empty. The soul was never meant to live on substitutes.
That’s when the dry places become a gift. Because an empty canteen reminds us: I need a Source bigger than myself.
This is where God meets us, not with just a sip, but with a well that never runs dry. His joy, His presence, His love, these are the waters that truly satisfy. When our canteen is empty, He invites us to lay it down and drink straight from the well.
The good news? The well is always near. We don’t have to fear the emptiness, it’s just the reminder that there’s more, and that God is ready to fill us again.
The Well in the Wilderness
Hagar knew what it felt like to be desperate. Cast out into the wilderness with her son, she ran out of water and hope. In her grief, she placed the boy under a bush and wept, unable to watch him die of thirst.
And then, in that moment of despair, God drew near.
“Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. So, she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink.”
Genesis 21:19
The well had been there all along. Hagar just couldn’t see it until God opened her eyes.
That’s the beauty of God’s presence; He doesn’t need to create something new to satisfy us. His living water is already here. The question is whether our eyes are open to see it.
How often do we, like Hagar, sit in our emptiness while the well of joy, peace, and love is right beside us? Sometimes what we need most isn’t “more” from God but fresh eyes to see what He has already provided.
“The well had been there all along, I just needed God to open my eyes.”
Do I Really Want Joy?
Have you noticed how temporary things never quite quench your thirst? Success, approval, busyness, they give us a sip, but never the fullness our souls crave. Jesus offers something different. He said, “Whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst” (John 4:14).
That means joy isn’t something we chase, it’s something we receive. Right here, right now. Joy is not far off. It’s already available, like cool water from a deep well.
Hagar and her son were dying of thirst with a well less than a bowshot away. What insanity, we think. And yet, isn’t that the same story in us? The living water is near, but so often we live dry, weary, and convinced it’s not for us.
What compels me to shrivel up and die when there is Joy's water to be had? Could it be that I’ve been trained by habit, by old stories, or by my own unbelief? Maybe I’m blind to Joy’s well. Maybe like Hagar, deep down, I doubt He really cares.
But He does. He is good. He is always offering water. His presence is the fullness of joy (Psalm 16:11).
So the question is not: “Is there joy?” The question is: “Do I really want it?”
And that’s where it gets tender. Sometimes the hardest step isn’t believing joy exists, it’s allowing ourselves to want it. Because wanting means opening our hearts, trusting again, and letting God fill places we’ve tried to protect.
We cannot manufacture desire. But we can begin by asking. We can whisper: “God, I want to want joy. Open my eyes. Open my heart. Show me the well.”
And He will. Because He is the God who sees, the God who opens, the God who satisfies.
Choosing the Better Road
Every day brings us a choice. We can settle for surface substitutes, or we can pause, open our hearts, and drink from the well that truly satisfies. This is the “road less traveled,” but it is also the road to peace, freedom, and joy that endures.
Friend, your heart was made for this. You don’t have to stay weary or thirsty. Joy is not a distant dream, it’s here. The well is here. God is here.
So today, open your heart. Drink deeply. And let His joy overflow.
