Living Water

St Martin's Newsletter Article: 29 April 2012

As I write this the rain is pouring down outside.  Our lawn is looking extremely green and lush and the trees and shrubs are flourishing following the many days of rain we have had recently. Prior to this spell of rain we have apparently had the driest 2 years for many years and many parts of the country are in drought conditions, including the Midlands. We should all therefore be very grateful for every spot of rain that falls, in order to fill the many rivers, streams and reservoirs which are so low. 

As I thought about this I realised how much we take our water for granted.  When I got up this morning, I  had a shower, cleaned my teeth, made drinks for breakfast, did the washing up and put some washing in the washer, all in just over an hour.  It made me  think about how much water we all use in a day at the turn of a tap.

In many parts of the world people are starving because of the lack of rain.  Lakes, rivers and streams have dried up long ago and the earth is starved of moisture.  It is difficult to grow food and therefore people starve.

So how much do we value our precious water?  As our lives depend on it we should value it very highly.

The first mention of rain in the Bible is in Genesis ch 2 v4 and 5 ‘When the Lord God first made the earth and sky, there were still no plants on the earth.  Nothing was growing in the fields because the Lord God had not yet made it rain on the land.’ 

Water is mentioned in the Bible many times for different reasons—Naaman was cleansed and healed in the River Jordan.  In Exodus Ch 15 v22—26 and Exodus 17 v 1—7 God provided the Israelites with drinking water in different circumstances. Jesus changed water into wine. He washed his disciples feet.  He walked on water.  He was baptised in water and his disciples baptised others.  But Jesus talked about another sort of water when he was talking to a Samaritan woman at a well.   Read John ch 4 v 1– 15.  In verse 13 Jesus says ‘Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give will never be thirsty.  The water that I give will become a spring of water flowing up inside that person, giving eternal life.’ Jesus was referring to the Holy Spirit and this is a source that will never fail.