Water is the essential for life. Without it, we die. Everything that lives on this planet requires water for its survival. Nothing-new there, right? What I find fascinating is that God uses water and water imagery throughout the Bible to remind us of a spiritual truth. Without God (spiritual water) we are spiritually dead.

We all know what it feels like to be walking through the “valley of the shadow of death.” There is no hope and you can see no reason to keep walking…but you do. When you are lonely despite the fact you are surrounded by people. When all you want to do is curl up on the couch and avoid life itself. Those are the times we need “living water” to revive and remind us of how much we are loved- even if we are incapable of love in that moment.

In the book of Job, one of Job’s friends (Bildad) puts it this way,
“Can papyrus grow tall where there is no marsh? Can reeds thrive without water?  While still growing and uncut, they wither more quickly than grass

Such is the destiny of all who forget God; so perishes the hope of the godless.  What he trusts in is fragile; what he relies on is a spider’s web. He leans on his web, but it gives way; he clings to it, but it does not hold.” Job 8:11-15

 Papyrus is fragile he says! It withers quicker than grass without water. And then he points out the most shocking thing—we are like papyrus without water when we are without God. Bildad mentions two types of people: Those who forget about God and those who do not know God.

At some point in our lives we forget about God. For many of us, it is during extreme hardship (or college). God will never forget us, but as in any relationship “it takes two to tango.” When we disconnect—we wither.

Thank God, Jesus is always looking for his lost sheep, his lost coin and his lost children (Luke 15). We don’t stay lost or withered forever—Jesus makes sure of that. But during those times, it seems we will never recover what we have lost.

As all life needs water to live—we need spiritual water to thrive. Jesus said to the woman at the well,

“Whoever drinks the 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.” John 4:14

It makes you wonder, what is in that spiritual water that Jesus offers? God offers himself. But with the gift of God himself we receive something so precious… HOPE.

Hope tells us that there is a future. Hope tells us we have a purpose in this life. Hope tells us that God is up something. Hope tells us that God won’t leave us behind. Hope tells us there is more to this life than meets the eye.

“In God’s great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you…” 1Peter 1:3-4

We are born into a new life with Christ that promises us a hopeful future. Not an optimistic wishful opportunity on the horizon. God has made some outlandish promises but remember this: God doesn’t break promises.

“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.” Hebrews 10:23

God is the water of our life. Without it, we wither and die. Maybe that is why Jesus chose water as a sign of adoption into his family. As a baby is surrounded by water in it’s mother’s womb, we have been surrounded by the water of God that is teeming with hope.

“A human can live about forty days without food, about three days without water, about eight minutes without air…but only for one second without hope.”

God bless you all,

Pr. Ben