Watchman of the Spring

Scriptures: “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me.” (Ezekiel 3:17)

The late US Senate’s Pastor, Rev. Peter Marshall, once told a story about an old man who lived in the forest on the Alps in Austria. He was hired by the city council to make sure that water coming down to the town from a spring up in the mountains of Alps stay clean.

So, this old man patrolled the forest from time to time, removing any leaves that fell into the aqueduct or any dirt or twigs that block the flow of water. Soon after he was hired, the small hill-side town began to prosper, the water wheels started to rotate, the fields were irrigated, and the greens and blossoming flowers against the beautiful Alps formed a beautiful picture. This picturesque view of the town attracted a lot of tourists and, as they poured in, the whole town became alive and prosperous.

Many years later, in an annual council budget meeting, someone noticed this item called “Spring Watchman’s Salary” and said, “Who is this watchman that we never saw? What’s he doing that adds value to the growing business of this town? Are we sure we need this position?” So, with unanimous votes, this position was removed from the budget.

At first, nothing seems to be different. Then autumn came and leaves started to fall. Broken twigs and branches went into the aqueduct and blocked the flow of water and people noticed that the water mill moves slower. In a matter of weeks, the water started to turn brown and, pretty soon, the color grew darker. Then it got worse because the water began to be smelly and people started to get sick. Pretty soon, the tourists stopped coming to this town and the business got worse.

The embarrassed council realized their mistake and quickly restored the position. As the water quality was restored, so were the beauty and the liveliness of the town.

This is an amazing story about how one man’s work, as invisible and insignificant as it may appear, makes such a tremendous difference in the lives of the entire town. To some extent, the relationship between this watchman and the town is just like the relationship between Christians and this world.

In Matthew chapter 5, Jesus called us to be “the salt of the earth” (13) and “the light of the world.” (14) As insignificant as a small amount of salt is, the flavor of food depends on it. As insignificant as a light stand is, the lighting of a room depends on it. We may be the minority, but we have been entrusted with the role and the responsibility to ensure the purity of the community in which we live. We may be invisible to many and, as a result, receive no affirmation, but we know, in His eyes, our work has an everlasting significance.

Just like this Austrian watchman, to this job entrusted to us, we need to be proactive and diligent. We need to be constantly alert and be aware of things that may have an impact on our own spiritual lives or our witness for our Lord Jesus. After all, doing our jobs is more than fulfilling an obligation. It’s actually a blessing our Lord has in place for everyone who has not known Him yet. How blessed we are to be given this honor to bring this good news as well as the living examples of His life into the community we live!

Prayer Requests:
For those feeling small and insignificant

Prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for giving Your only begotten Son, our Lord Jesus, for our sake. He exemplified the significance of humility in Your eyes. Help us to learn from Him and be humble before You and before all so we may learn to be thankful and dedicated to the cause and calling You have for us. In the gracious name of our Lord Jesus we pray, Amen!