What do You Wish?

“What do you wish?” Caleb said to his daughter. How a father delights to bless his child. Caleb’s daughter didn’t go to Joshua for the blessing, she went to her father. She didn’t go to the government (Elders) of Israel nor did she go to her new husband’s parents. She knew exactly where to go and ask. She asked her father.

Caleb’s daughter was not afraid to ask land of her father even though he had already given her some land in the south of his portion in the land of Israel. Many would have said, “I don’t have the heart to ask anything of my father since he has already given me what I now own. I don’t want to trouble him for more.” But she knew her father, and she knew that he wouldn’t be bothered in giving her more as well.

This young woman was not afraid to ask for the best from her father. She didn’t ask for anyone’s rejects and did not ask for someone’s hand-me-downs. Rather she asked for springs of water. She was not satisfied with the stale, stagnant sludge that might be more easily accessible. That would be an affront to her father’s dignity and generosity!

Caleb was probably just as delighted to give his daughter an extra portion of land as he was in receiving his own portion previously (Joshua 14.6-15).

Not only so, he actually seems to have given her even more than she asked for, because we’re told in the text that “Caleb gave her the upper springs, and the lower springs. (emphasis mine).

God, our Father in heaven, loves to bless us too. Jesus said, “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!” (Matthew 7.11)

Jesus said to his disciples; “Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.” James tells us, “You do not have because you do not ask.” (James 4.2) Let’s not be afraid or unbelieving about asking God, our Father, for the things we desire in the name of Jesus.

Sometimes we might think, “What if I ask but don’t receive?” I understand, but we may never receive that blessing if we don’t ask.

God has given us plenty in the past and he will continue to provide for us in the present and in the future.

Whenever we pray to God, we must not settle for the easy things that almost any human source could provide. We should ask him for the kinds of things that only he could give. This is an expression of our faith when we pray for God to do the impossible, knowing that nothing is impossible with him. (Luke 1.37; Matthew 19.26)

God wants the best for us, but he must decide what is good and best, for often we don’t have the discernment to know. But the bible does say, “No good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.” (Psalm 84.11) Caleb was happy to grant the springs of water, because he knew that it was good for his daughter. I think sometimes that God grants to us Spiritual springs of water, but we might reject those blessings, thinking that we know better what we need. We might be interested in the physical blessings and disinterested in the Spiritual ones. But God’s word says that he has “blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:”

Finally, just as Caleb blessed his daughter with more than she ever asked for, so God does for us.

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. (Ephesians 3.20-21)

Jesus said:

...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."

A songwriter wrote:

I wandered in the barren land of sin and shame
Where nothing satisfying there I found
But to the blessed cross of Christ one day I came
And springs of living water did abound

Drinking of the springs of living water
Oh, happy now am I
My soul they satisfy
Drinking of the springs of living water
O, wonderful and bountiful supply! [1]

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[1] Words by John W. Peterson