Moshe, the Water Carrier

Joshua said “Soon I will die, going the way of all the earth. Deep in your hearts you know that every promise of the Lord your God has come true. Not a single one has failed! But as surely as the Lord your God has given you the good things he promised, he will also bring disaster on you if you disobey him. He will completely wipe you out from this good land he has given you.” – Joshua 24:14-15

Moshe was a water carrier back in the days before people had indoor plumbing and water had to be brought in from a well. He would wake up every morning at three and begin to haul water to people’s houses so they could have fresh water for their breakfasts. He would also bring water to the church but would not charge for it because he wanted to offer it as his grateful sacrifice to God.

Moshe married a beautiful young woman and they soon had children. But they were very, very poor. His children were often hungry and his wife had to dress in shabby clothes. This made Moshe very sad. Moshe prayed every day as he carried his water yoke that God would give him 100 rubles so that he could provide better for his family. He prayed this prayer for many years without any answer from God and he grew discouraged.

One morning though, as he was carrying water to the church, he saw a leather pouch lying on the road and inside were 100 rubles! He was so happy he cried. He danced and he sang God’s praises.

But at evening prayers at church he heard that a man named Abraham had died and left behind his wife, Hanna, along with eleven children. They had not a penny to their name and were starving. He felt immediately convicted to give them the money he had found. He fought that urge with everything he had. He had prayed for 100 rubles for years and they were his! But he was miserable. Everything looked black. He was suffering. “God, you can be cruel!” he shouted at Heaven. “How could you give me the answer to my prayers only to snatch it away?”

But as he walked past the spring where he got the water every morning, the pipe from which the water flowed caught his eye. He suddenly understood. He was to be like that pipe. God had given him the money so that he could pass it on and thereby bless others. If he kept the money, it would be like capping the pipe and making the water of God’s blessing become stagnant. He and his family were poor, but not as poor as Hanna’s. He would give Hanna the money and who knows? Maybe God would send more down the pipe line. He walked down the road singing again; his joy restored and the world beautiful once more.