Filled Wells by Lisa Burkhardt Worley

I’m a little behind on this, but I’ve been watching the program, The Crown on Netflix and made it through season one in a week. I’ve always been fascinated with the royals; probably because of my English roots—41% according to Ancestry. During one of the episodes, I looked up our English family surname, “Carvel,” to see if we had an nobility in our background and the Carvel name actually means “swamp dweller.” Hmmm. It doesn’t sound too noble to me.

Through this series, set during the early reign of Queen Elizabeth, I realized the royal family has familial problems just like we do, even today. Every time a scenario comes up on the program, I grab my phone to see if it is really historical. Things like rebellious family members, marital issues and smoking addictions. Well, yes, they all occurred. 

The Bible says God “causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous” (Matthew 5:45). This verse is saying no one escapes problems.

In Genesis 26, Isaac, the son of Abraham and a type of royal, also experienced life complications after the Lord blessed him and he became very rich. This abundance fueled jealousy with his neighbors, the Philistines, so they started to fill up all of Isaac’s wells with dirt. It got so bad that the king of the country, Abimelech, asked Isaac to leave. “’Go somewhere else,” he said, “’for you have become too powerful for us.’” 

So Isaac moved to the Gerar Valley where his servants discovered a fresh water well, then some shepherds came along and claimed it. Isaac’s men dug a different well, but there was another dispute over it. 

Hey, wait a minute, wasn’t Isaac the child of the promise? Wasn’t he the heir to many nations? Why are there so many roadblocks?

No matter how devout or good or faithful or royal we are, the Bible promises, “…In this world you will have trouble” (John 16:33). 

We live in an imperfect world scorched by sin, and I believe God uses these setbacks to build character in us, to rely on Him more and so that we’ll appreciate the good when a difficult scenario turns around.

Isaac’s servants eventually dug a well that he was able to claim. He called it “Rehoboth,” which means “open spaces.” Isaac said, “At last the LORD has created enough space for us to prosper in this land.” I wonder if Isaac would have appreciated this well as much if it had been the first one he dug?

Even when we see our own personal wells filled up with discouragement, family issues or health challenges, we should be confident that God is still with us and he will encourage us in the midst of the situations.

God knew Isaac needed a word as well as some hope from Him. After Isaac moved on to Beersheba, the Lord appeared and reminded Isaac that he planned to “bless him, multiply his descendants and that he would become a great nation.” Sometimes we need reminders that it is going to be okay, right? It was apparently what this child of God needed. Isaac responded by worshipping the LORD and then, of all things, his servants dug another well. 

What wells are being filled up in your life? Keep digging. This is only a temporary setback, and I believe the Lord wants to remind you today that he sees what you are going through and he will help you through it.