Water

“And the Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ And let him who hears say, ‘Come!’ And let him who thirsts come. And whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely” (Revelation 22:17)

As a boy, I liked a singing group called “The Riders of the Purple Sage,” and we were once able to actually hear them sing in person.  I was still in a wheelchair at that time, but completely forgot about all that, as we listened to the “Riders” sing beautiful songs.  The one I remember from that night contained something like these words: “Dan, can’t ya’ see that big, green tree? Where the water's runnin' free, and it's waitin' there for me and you?”  As they sang, I felt what they wanted me to feel: Like a thirsty person, who desperately needs – WATER!

Water is so incredibly interesting.  It’s actually a continuing miracle that is all around us, but it’s so prevalent that we don’t see it for what it is.  There are many miracles revealed in “nature” that are everywhere, and they point to the existence and the love of God.  One of the most wonderful – is water!

I remember in college being told about the nature of water.  For one thing, water is the only substance on earth found in all three states of matter: It appears as a liquid we can drink.  It can be a solid (in the form of ice), and it can also be a gas (steam).  We benefit from these amazing properties all the time without even realizing that a miracle is taking place when we do.  We drink water and we’re satisfied.  Heated water powers steam engines and other devices.  We use ice to cool and to preserve our food, and all this is because God has made it so.

There’s something amazing and unusual about water in the form of ice: It is LESS dense than in liquid form, which is why ice floats.  Because of this, ice forms at the TOP of bodies of water, rather than on the bottom.  During winter months, fish and other creatures we depend upon, can continue to live in the water and not become extinct, even though the top may be frozen for weeks or even months at a time.

Water is the “universal solvent” because it dissolves more substances than any other liquid.  I remember that the professor challenged us to go home and soak our dirty pots and pans in water.  I don’t know how much work that professor’s advice has saved me over the years, but it has been a lot.  Instead of scrubbing the pans, I soak them, and usually after doing so, baked-on matter simply rinses away!  Water is indeed a solvent, but it does not harm our bodies as other solvents would – instead, it gives us life.

Another property of water is a process called “osmosis.”  When you water the tree in your yard, you aim the water at the ground, not at the top of the tree, because you know the roots will absorb it.  The water enters the roots, traveling upward through the trunk and the limbs (defying the Law of Gravity in its ascent), providing sustenance to fruit and leaves at the top.  Water enters the cells of the tree, passing through the membranes of other cells, gradually making its way through trunk and branches, through the miracle of “osmosis,” a process which is not really explained by science, at all.

Our bodies are essentially made of water.  For instance, our blood is about 90% water, which, because of its properties as a solvent, helps soften the food we eat, and it also carries the nutrients of food to our bodies’ cells.  We are cooled by water through perspiration, and water also lubricates our joints and muscles.

Water does a LOT!  And understanding what it does helps us understand what Jesus was talking about, when He spoke to the Samaritan woman at the well (John Chapter 4).  He asked her for water (verse 7).  She replied that it was not the custom for Jewish men to ask Samaritans for anything! “for Jews have no dealings with Samaritans” (verse 9). 

Jesus responded by offering the woman “living water” (John 4:10), which is to say, He was offering the woman – Himself!  The woman started wondering out loud about the “Messiah,” the “Christ,” because Jesus was so incredibly different from anyone she had ever met (verse 25).  He responded, “I who speak to you am He” (John 4:26)

She needed God’s Messiah, His Christ, the Anointed One, who is like clear, refreshing water to a thirsty person.  We drank from that same well when we were in Israel, and it was certainly cool and wonderful to the taste.  We thirsted again, not long after that, and at another place, drank more water.  We have also tried His “living water” and can indeed testify that we are SATISFIED by Him.

In verses 13 and 14 of John 4, Jesus compared the physical water that we use and drink with this “living water,” saying: “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, 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.”  We need much more than water and food.  We need His “living water,” which will last – forever!

Isaiah the Prophet continually called out to the people in the Name of God, with statements like, “Ho! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters…” (Isaiah 55:1).  He was encouraging them to “drink” the same “living water” that Jesus spoke about to the Samaritan woman, several hundred years later.  It’s interesting that Isaiah was eventually killed by the same people he was trying to help.  They wanted to satisfy themselves, instead of looking to God for their needs.  Jesus was killed for much the same reason.

It’s not necessarily a popular choice to trust in the Lord.  Movie actors, sports stars, the rich and famous – Those are the ones likely to be “popular.”  Jesus pointed out that “many” will reject the Lord and comparatively “few” will trust in Him (Matthew 7:13-14).  But “the Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ And let him who hears say, ‘Come!’ And let him who thirsts come. And whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely” (Revelation 22:17).  Isaiah said that the “waters” of God are to “you who have no money…” (Isaiah 55:1).  It’s a free gift of life to you and me.  Come to the waters, and TRUST in Him.

Father, I want to trust in You.  I want the “living water” you offer.  I want to be satisfied, but I have been holding back, trying to satisfy myself.  I TRUST in You now.  Forgive me, Lord, save me, and FILL me with Your Spirit.  Thank You.  In Jesus Name.  Amen.

Ron Beckham, Pastor
Friday Study Ministries
www.FridayStudy.org
www.FirstChurchontheNet.org
www.BlessedHands.org
E-mail: Ron@FridayStudy.org
Tel: (562) 688-5559
PO Box 92131
Long Beach, CA 90809-2131
"While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8)