Running Water & the Living Water

One time a water line leak meant that all water to our house had to be shut off for 30 hours.   We were able to fill the tub & some containers with water before it was shut off.  We also had 6 gallons of water stored in a closet.  We had to pour water in the sink to wash up with.  My wife heated water on the stove to wash the dishes.  It reminded me of growing up in a house without running water, when my Mom heated water on the stove daily, to wash dishes.  According to my wife, my mmother was a saint.  Imagine pouring water into the toilet to flush.  We took showers at other places and used a neighbor's hose to refill containers. 

All things considered, it was an inconvenient adventure that we survived.  We learned a new appreciation for running water.  Do you remember the survivors of Hurricane Katrina?  Water was one of their biggest needs.  It’s possible that one day, you and I may lose running water due to a disaster.  Have you ever heard what the water supply is like in a third-world country?  Clean, running water is not to be taken for granted.

Our water experience made me think of the Water of Life.  In John 4, Jesus told the woman at the well, “Everyone who drinks this water will become thirsty again.  Anyone who drinks the water I give will never become thirsty again.  The water I give him will become a spring of water, springing up to eternal life.”

Later, in John 7, in a festival in Jerusalem, “Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, ‘If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink.  Whoever believes in Me, the same as the Bible says, streams of LIVING WATER will flow from within him.’  By this he meant the SPIRIT, whom those who believed in him were later to receive.  Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.”  (See Isaiah 12:2-3, 44:3-4,  and 58:11 for the blessings of life-giving water.)  Only the Messiah could promise the LIVING WATER of the Holy Spirit to all who believed, and Jesus showed that He was the Messiah, the Savior who came to save his people from their sin.

The baptismal water represents a means of God’s grace.  We Christians believe different things about baptism, but we all agree that the water represents the cleansing mercy of Jesus, to wash one’s sins away.

If you live without running water for a day, you’ll gain a new appreciation for water.  It’s just as hard, if not harder, to live without the life-giving water of Jesus.  Go to Jesus through prayer and the Bible.  Confess your sins, and ask for forgiveness for your sins.  Pray for the help of God’s Spirit, to live as He wants us to live.  Pray for the life-giving water of Jesus, the WATER OF LIFE.

Clean, running water is not to be taken for granted.  Neither is the Water of Life. Appreciate the Living Water of the Holy Spirit, the water that comes from Jesus.

Longing for Water

I just finished reading Deep Down Dark: The Untold Stories of 33 Men Buried in a Chilean Mine, & the Miracle that Set Them Free, by Hector Tobar.  It's the true story of the 33 miners who survived a terrible experience of being trapped deep in a mine, after the ramp leading out to the surface was blocked by crashing rock, on Aug. 5, 2010.  All 33 miners survived the huge crash but were imprisoned in the mountain, unable to escape.  They carefully rationed a small amount of water and food, to last for 17 days.  When the bottled water ran out, they were forced to drain water from vehicles in the mine, water tinted with oil.  They all lost drastic amounts of weight, until a few were described as skin and bones.

Their hope gradually faded; several wrote farewell letters to loved ones, letters that would probably never be found.  The food ran out, along with any hope.  They were all weak; some were sick.  Then they began hearing noises which they later recognized as drills coming down from the surface, renewing their hope to live.  A small drill broke through; one miner began hitting the drill bit with a heavy hammer, to signal that they were alive.  A note to the surface told the rescuers that all 33 were still alive deep down in the dark.  The first thing the rescuers sent down in a tube, was clean bottled water, so that the 33 would no longer have to drink the tainted water from their vehicles.

(The 33 movie scheduled to come out on Nov. 13, is based on this book - Deep Down Dark by Tobar.)

In Psalm 63:1-2, David wrote, “You, God, are my God,
earnestly I seek you;
I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you,
in a dry and parched land
where there is no water.

I have seen you in the sanctuary
 and beheld your power and your glory.”

David wrote this while he was a fugitive in the desert.  He remembered the sanctuary of the temple in Jerusalem and longed for God’s presence that he’d experienced in the past.  Listen to the deep yearning in his prayer: “Earnestly I SEEK you;
 I THIRST for you, my whole being LONGS for you, 
in a dry and parched land 
where there is no water.”

We have an empty place in our hearts, that can only be satisfied by God.  We thirst to love and be loved by others.  Many try to fill this void in unhealthy or sinful ways.  The only way to truly satisfy this void is through God’s living water.  Jesus said, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink.  Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.”

This life has difficulties and hard times; it can seem like traveling throught a desert after running out of water.  We get tired, thirsty, and lonely.  We miss conversations with close friends.  There may no one to help us or encourage us.  When we are weak or lonely, this life can like a dry, weary land where there is no water. 

But we don’t need to thirst.  God can quench our thirst, fill our hearts, and fill us with his Living Water.  Remember what God has done for you in the past.  Close your eyes and imagine standing in the sanctuary before the throne of God, with flowing fountains at each side.

If you do not have a church home, you are welcome to attend First Presbyterian Church in Deport, where we are blessed with the Water of Life each Sunday, in worship at 11:30 am.  The next time, you pour a glass of water, pause to thank the One who gives the Water of Life.

Wandering in a Dry, Weary Land

In our area, there has been very little rain in recent months.  Most green plants have turned brown.  Much of the western U.S. is still suffering drought.  In other places we’ve lived through a drought, civic leaders passed restrictions against car-washes and watering a lawn; such practices were seen as a waste of a precious resource.

Have you cut back on any unnecessary use of water yet?  Last year, my brother-in-law up North installed a plastic barrel at the bottom of a gutter drain spout, to collect rain water to water the garden & flowers.  I’ve seen one house in town that uses 5-gallon buckets for the same purpose.  When water gets scarce, it’s wise to consider ways to conserve it, to make the remaining water last longer.

In the Bible, a drought was seen in a spiritual way, as a dry, thirsty period when G seems far away.  Sometimes, a drought was seen as God’s punishment or discipline on his disobedient children. 

In Psalm 63:1, David wrote, “O God, You are my God, earnestly I seek You; my soul thirsts for You, my body longs for You, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.”  Have you been wandering in a dry, weary land? 

It would have been understandable if David had become so overwhelmed, but he had God’s promise that he would become the next King of Israel.  He knew that no matter the enemy did, the Lord was watching over him.  But when one goes through a dry, weary land for months or years, one can feel far away from God, perhaps even neglected.

Many of us, if not all, have gone through dry, weary times.  When we get discouraged by the challenges we face, it’s good for us to remember that God is stronger than the situation we face.  The Lord is our Shepherd who watches over us.  When we go through a dry, weary period, do you and I thirst for God?  Do we long for God, as David did?

In John 4, Jesus spoke to the Samaritan woman at the well, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks this water I give him will never thirst.  Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

If you’re going through a dry, weary time, seek the One who offers the Water of Life.  He will nourish your soul and give you strength to survive this drought.  The next time you enjoy a glass of cold, refreshing water, pause to thank the One who gives the water that wells up to eternal life.  Then seek his life.

Thirsting For God

A drought will renew one’s appreciation for a glass of cold, refreshing water. 

In Psalm 63:1-2, David wrote, “You, God, are my God,
earnestly I seek you;
I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you,
in a dry and parched land
where there is no water.

I have seen you in the sanctuary
 and beheld your power and your glory.”

David wrote this while he was a fugitive in the desert of Judah.  He fondly remembered the sanctuary of the temple in Jerusalem and longed for God’s presence that he’d experienced in the past.  Listen to the deep yearning in his prayer: “Earnestly I SEEK you;
 I THIRST for you, my whole being LONGS for you,
in a dry and parched land 
where there is no water.”

As children of God, we have a void, a vacuum in our hearts, that can only be satisfied by God.  We thirst to love and be loved by others.  Many try to fill this void in unhealthy or sinful ways.  The only way to truly satisfy this void is through God’s living water.  Jesus said, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink.  Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.”

This life has many trials, tests & difficulties; it can seem like traveling throught a desert after running out of water.  We get tired, thirsty, and lonely.  We miss the fellowship of close friends.  There may no one to help us or encourage us.  When we are weak or lonely, this life can like a dray, weary land where there is no water. 

But we don’t need to thirst.  God can quench our thirst, fill our hearts, and fill us with his Living Water.  Remember what God has done for you in the past.  Close your eyes and imagine standing in the sanctuary before the throne of God, with flowing fountains at each side.

If you do not have a church home, you are welcome to attend First Presbyterian Church in Hugo, where we are blessed with the Water of Life each Sunday, in Sunday School at 9 am and worship at 10 am.  The next time, you pour a glass of water, pause to thank the One who gives the Water of Life.

PRAYER:  O God, my heart is dry.  My body hurts.  I am lonely.  I thirst for You, for more of You.  I long for You.  I want to be filled with Your Living Water.  Please fill me with Your Spirit.  Amen.