We will continue to see the goodness of the land. The land is good in many aspects. We have seen that it is good in its spaciousness and its ascendancy. Now we come to the matter which is the greatest—the unsearchable riches of the land. The land is good in its unsearchable riches. It is good in spaciousness, it is good in transcendency, and it is good in unsearchable riches.
First of all, it is rich in water. The land is good in the riches of water. We all realize how important water is to our daily life. I think we can endure several days without eating, but we can hardly pass one day without a drink of water. We need water more than almost anything else. Day by day we need water. If you just give me some water to drink, I can stop eating for three days. But I can hardly stop drinking for even one day.
Deuteronomy says that the land is good in water. Listen to the different terms that are used: “a land of waterbrooks”—that means a land full of streams of waters—and a land “of springs and of fountains” (8:7). Do you understand the difference between fountains and springs? The translation of J. N. Darby says that it is a land “of springs, and of deep waters.” Let me illustrate: Suppose we have a well. With a well, there is always a spring. Underneath, at the bottom of the well, is a spring of water which feeds the well. The water issues from that spring and fills the well, and the well becomes the “fountain” or the “deep waters.” Then from this deep water, there flows out a stream. You have the spring, then the deep water which is the fountain, and then the stream.
The spring, the deep waters, and the streams. Brothers and sisters, what is the meaning of these waters? We can immediately turn to the Lord’s word for the answer. The Lord said that the water He gives will be in us a well of water, a fountain, springing up unto the life of eternity. These waters are types of the various kinds of supply of Christ’s life. The life of Christ as the supply to us is just like the different kinds of waters.
The Lord told us that out of the innermost part of those who believe on Him will flow rivers of living water. What is this? This is the supply of the life of Christ as living water. If you reflect upon your experience and consider it carefully, you will realize that in one aspect Christ is so spacious and exhaustless and in another aspect Christ is transcendent and in the heavens. Then if you view it accurately, you will realize that the supply of the life of Christ is just as living water within you. Many times you are thirsty—not thirsty in your physical body, but thirsty in your spirit. When you come athirst to the Lord and contact Him, you have a certain sense within you. You feel refreshed; you feel watered. When you are thirsty, it means that your spirit, your inner man is dry. But when you contact the Lord Jesus, it is not long before you feel watered and your thirst is quenched. You are refreshed more by this drink than by any physical beverage. Then if you contact the Lord more and more and even moment by moment, you will feel more than watered; there will be a stream flowing forth from within you.
You may ask what I mean when I speak of a stream flowing forth from within you. Do you not have such experiences? When you are dry and thirsty in the inner man, you come to the Lord, you contact Him and you are refreshed. Then the more you contact Him, you are not only watered, but you are filled, you are full of water. I believe that the moment you meet a brother, you will say Hallelujah! What is this? It is a stream flowing forth from within you. Then in the evening when you come to the meeting, you will come singing; you will come refreshed. You will immediately offer praise or a prayer, which will be just like a living stream flowing forth from within you. All the brothers and sisters will be watered by your prayer. You can tell them, “Brothers, how good it is! But this is only a stream. Do you know that there is a spring within me, and not only a spring, but a fountain of deep water? I am full of water, so something is flowing forth.”
Now you can understand. We have a spring, a fountain, and a stream. The spring is the source, the fountain is the storage, and the stream is the flowing forth. We have the source, the storage, and the flowing forth; the spring, the fountain, and the stream.
I do believe that you have some experience of this, but I am sorry that you have little spiritual understanding of these things. You cannot utter it; you cannot give forth a fitting praise for this living spring, this deep fountain, and this flowing stream. Oh, if you understood this, I believe your praise to the Lord in the meeting would be much improved. You would say, “Lord, how I praise You, there is a spring within me! And from this spring there is a fountain of deep water! Lord, how I thank You, I not only have a spring and a fountain, but from this fountain flows a stream; and not only one stream, but many streams are flowing forth! Lord, how it waters me! I am so refreshed! The living streams are always flowing forth from within me, and I am here to water others.”
In this land there is not only one stream, but many streams; not just one spring and one fountain, but many springs and many fountains. What does this mean? Sometimes when you are beset with troubles and trials, you contact the Lord and receive something from Him. You experience the Lord as a spring, as a fountain, and as a stream in your trial. What kind of spring, what kind of fountain, and what kind of stream is this? Can you give them a name? I believe you can give them many names. Sometimes you experience Him as a spring of joy, sometimes as a spring of peace, and sometimes as a spring of comfort. Sometimes you experience Him as a fountain of love, a fountain of grace, and a fountain of light. At other times Christ is a stream of patience, a stream of humility, and a stream of forbearance to you. You see, there are many springs, many fountains, and many streams. There are many kinds of heavenly supplies.
Since 1950 I have visited Manila almost every year, staying for a few months. The brothers there have always lodged me with a family, all the members of which are older persons; so they feel more free to speak with me, of course, than young people. One day in 1953, after my ministry, we all came home from the meeting hall. One of the older sisters said to me, “Brother, would you please tell me how you could possibly have so much to speak? To tell you the truth, when you first came in 1950, I was amazed by the messages. I thought then that your ministry the next time would be poorer. But I noticed that the second time you came, your ministry was richer; you had even more to give. Then I thought, ‘The third time he comes, he will be exhausted; he will have nothing to say.’ But, to my surprise, the third time you came, your ministry was even richer than the first two times. Now this is your fourth visit here, and after hearing your message this evening, I cannot say how rich it is. Would you please tell me how you get all these things to speak?”
Do you know what I answered her? I told her, “It is quite simple. There is a stream in me which is connected with the spring in the heavens. You can never exhaust this spring. The more the living water flows out, the more the fresh supply flows in. The more I speak, the more I have to speak. If I stop speaking, it stops coming. This stream is flowing all the time.”
Once a brother came to me and asked, “Brother, how can you keep so many things in your mind? I notice that whenever you minister, you don’t have any outline before you. How can you remember it all?” I said, “Brother, I don’t have a great mentality. I cannot remember so many things. But I tell you, there is a stream within me. When I begin to speak, it flows forth.” Then he asked, “How much do you have within you?” “Brother,” I replied, “I don’t know; I cannot tell. For more than thirty years I have never been exhausted. It is rather hard for me to repeat a message.” There is a stream, a stream of ministry.
This is but one of many streams. There is a stream of wisdom, a stream of understanding, a stream of light, a stream of love, a stream of comfort, a stream of peace, a stream of joy, a stream of prayer, a stream of praise. How many streams are there within you? I do not know how many streams there are within me, and I do not know how much there is in each stream. If we only keep in touch with the living Christ, it is really marvelous. We can love others just as a living stream flowing forth. Our patience is flowing as a stream all the time, and we water others.
What a wonderful Christ we have! What a wonderful source we have! From one aspect you realize that He is spacious. From another aspect you realize that He is transcendent. From this aspect He is rich in water.