“Being An Artesian Well” 

One of the most beautiful promises Jesus gives to believers is found in John 7:38
“He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.”

This verse speaks of the abundant, overflowing life that comes from the indwelling Holy Spirit. The Christian life isn’t meant to be dry, mechanical, or burdensome—it’s designed to overflow with joy, love, and spiritual vitality. But far too often, believers can feel spiritually empty, drained, or exhausted in their service to God.

Why is that? Often it’s because they’re trying to live the Christian life in their own strength rather than tapping into the deep reservoir of the Spirit and the Word. D.L. Moody, the great evangelist of the 19th century, once gave a simple yet profound illustration of this truth. He compared two kinds of Christians: those who live like an old pump, straining to produce something, and those who are like an artesian well—flowing naturally because they are deeply connected to the source.

Here’s how Moody described it:

“If you really study God’s Word, I believe you’ll get so full of it that you can’t help but speak it out. The reason so many don’t care to work for God is, that they are so empty they cannot find anything to say. You can’t bring water out of a dry well.

There are two ways of getting water; the one is by pumping. Now many Christians are like these pumps—you have to pump a long time before you get anything.

The other kind of well is what they call artesian; they just dig down until they come to the very fountain itself, hundreds of feet below, then up springs the water into the air—they don’t need any pumping then. I wish Christians would be like artesian wells ever springing up to eternal life.”
— D. L. Moody