Let Down Your Bucket

Today, I am in Grenada, MS, for the Mississippi Baptist State Evangelism Conference. We are in a break now.

Frank Page, current President of the Southern Baptist Convention, preached this afternoon. He told a great story for the conclusion of his message.

Many years ago a ship was sailing the Atlantic. The ship exhausted its supply of fresh water. Knowing they could not drink salt water, all passengers on the ship were near certain death due to dehydration.

Suddenly, they spotted another ship. They sailed near the ship and sent a message requesting fresh water. The sailors on the other vessel replied, "Let down your buckets!" Thinking the other ship had not translated their request correctly, the needy crew sent a message pleading for fresh water. Again, the message came, "Let down your buckets!"

You see, the ship had sailed near the mouth of the Amazon River, just off the shore of South America. Since the flow of the Amazon River is so powerful, fresh water displaces the salty water of the Atlantic Ocean as far as 100 miles off shore.

The dying individuals had been surrounded by life giving water for an extended amount of time and, if they had not been told that the water was drinkable, they would have lost their lives.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled (Matthew 5:6,NKJV)." Jesus told the woman at the well, "but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life (John 4:14).”

God is willing to meet our deepest needs. He is available for us wherever we are.

So, as you sail the rough seas of life, just let down your bucket, and he will meet your need.