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Cisterns

When we began making inquiries about the farm we bought a few years ago, one of the first things we found out was that it had a cistern-based water system. The well which served the barn did not produce water of a quality for human consumption. So years ago, previous owners had dug a cistern which was used to store rain water.

A little research revealed that cistern technology is both ancient and primitive. Dig a hole in the ground. Line it with something waterproof if necessary. Use a trough or tube to direct water from a handy nearby rooftop into it. Provide a rope and a bucket to get water out of it. Not very elegant, but simple and effective.

In the Middle East, three to four thousand-year-old-cisterns still hold water, especially the ones which were hewn out of solid rock. Though based on a cistern (ours is concrete) our water system is thoroughly modern with an integrated filter and anti-bacterial ultra-violet lamp.

The first year we lived in the house saw an abundance of rain. We didn’t have to think about the cistern at all. The second year was abnormally dry. We still didn’t think about the cistern, until the day we turned on the tap and no water came out - just the faint gurgling of water trickling back into the cistern as the pump lost its prime. That year we had to purchase water - four tanker truck loads, as I recall.

Cisterns are dandy, but they have an important limitation when compared to wells. You only get out of a cistern water what you’ve put in intentionally (either by pumping it in or by catching rainwater). A good well, on the other hand, taps into an abundant water supply deep in the earth. One well with which I have some experience ran continuously for four weeks and never showed signs of running out.

A parallel to this in the spiritual world is worth considering. Each one of us, on our own, is like a cistern. What we get out of life is based on what is put into it. Learn something about sports and you get sports-based enjoyment back. Become educated in English literature and your life is enriched by what you read. Work diligently for a good employer and you get paid a fair wage which allows you to buy things that give you pleasure.

While we can do all of this physically, spiritually we’re running dry. Even if we engage in religious exercises of various kinds, the returns are limited by what we put into them. But that’s not the way God designed us to be. He made us to draw on the deep well of His eternal abundance. That’s why Jesus invited people to believe in Him with these words: “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” (John 7:37-38)

Ron Hughes
© May 2009