Water, Wine and Wonder: Triplets of Transition

 

Water, Wine and Wonder: Triplets of Transition

Photo by Nyehob 2016

Scripture records three incidents reflecting the transitions Mary had to make as Jesus grew up and entered His earthly ministry. The first was Jesus staying behind at the temple in Jerusalem to do His Father’s business (Luke 2:41-52); the second was the wedding at Cana (John 2:1-13), and the third occurred when Mary and her other children came to visit Jesus (Mark 3: 31-35) while He was teaching and preaching.

The wedding at Cana occurred on the third day after Jesus had gathered His apostles together. Essentially, it was the “debut” of His earthly ministry and the first time Jesus, His mother, and His disciples appeared together at a public event (John 1:37-51; 2:1-3).

A marriage celebration is an appropriate setting for the Messiah in His new role. It reminds us that He is the Creator Who designed man and woman to unite as one flesh (Genesis 2:22-24; Matthew 19:6); it pictures the holy union of Christ and His bride, the Church (Ephesians 5:23-32); and it anticipates the Marriage Supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19:9). At that ultimate feast, all believers saved by their faith in His death, burial and resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:1-4) as the only Way to Heaven (John 14:6) will begin eternity with Him in their glorified bodies (1 Corinthians 15:51-54).

I wonder if Mary suspected beforehand that her Son’s miraculous power would be revealed at this public gathering, or if she just came to Him spontaneously hoping He could intervene in an awkward situation. A Hebrew wedding celebration at the time often went on for days, accompanied by feasting, drinking, and dancing by loved ones who had traveled from all over to honor the new couple beginning their life together.

But the host at this wedding was about to be humiliated, for they had run out of wine. Mary came to Jesus and did not cajole or order Him to help, but instead just stated the problem: “They have no wine” (John 2:3).

Mary’s approach to her Lord is a great model for our prayer life, for too often we plead like petulant children hoping to get our way (James 4:3), or even worse, order God to “fix it” according to what our limited understanding seems to be the best solution (Isaiah 55:9). Instead, we should bring our requests to Him simply stated (Matthew 6:7), thanking Him in advance (Philippians 4:6), and trusting that He will answer our prayer in the best way possible (Matthew 6:8; Romans 8:28), according to His infinite love (1 John 4:8), wisdom (Psalm 139:6), and power (Genesis 18:14; Jeremiah 32:17,27).

But Jesus reminded Mary that God’s timing is always perfect, that He will not be rushed to meet the demands of our schedule (Ephesians 1:10), and that we must trust Him (Proverbs 3:5-6). He rebuked her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come (John 2:4). His response suggests that He would follow His Father’s lead (Ephesians 5:1-2), not that of His mother or anyone else, and wait upon Him (Psalm 27:14; 33:20), acting only when He received clear indications from His Father (Psalm 46:10). Again, a great example for all of us.

Did Mary attempt to exert her parental authority (Exodus 20:12; Luke 2:51) by ordering Him to help, “guilt” her Son into rescuing the situation, or question His power (Job 4:17; 5:1), doubting whether He could even be of any assistance? No, she handled the confrontation with deference to His will (Luke 22:42), tact in resisting the urge to argue (Proverbs 15:1), and recruitment of aid from the servants, whom she told to obey Jesus in whatever He asked of them (John 2:5).

May we learn from Mary that when we approach our Lord to make our requests known (Hebrews 4:16), we should defer to His perfect solution, wait peacefully for Him to move, and encourage others involved in the situation to also follow His command. As we await His answer, may we have faith that His ways are best (Hebrews 11:6), patience, knowing that His timing is perfect (James 1:2-8), and obedience to His perfect Word (1 Samuel 15:22; Romans 6:16; 2 Corinthians 10:5-6).

Jesus gave simple instructions to the servants, and they obeyed without question, even though His commands defied all logic. He told them to fill six waterpots, to draw from the pots, and to present it to the host (John 2:6-8). If they presented only water that had not been transformed to wine, the guests would have been insulted, the host would have been humiliated, and the servants would have been punished or even put to death.

But praise God, He had changed water into wine! He saved the day for the host, who most likely was unaware that Jesus was involved, only that this was the very best wine of the day, implying that it was fresh grape juice and not fermented (John 2:9-10). He pleased His mother, giving her reason for great joy, making her proud, and no doubt filling her with wonder at His Divine power, only now beginning to be revealed (Matthew 15:31; Mark 6:51; Luke 2:18; 4:22; 8:25; 24:12,41).

Most important, He had performed a great miracle!  Other Scripture terms for “miracles” are “signs” and “wonders” (Exodus 15:11; Deuteronomy 6:22; Acts 2:22). The waterpots that had been used for ritual purification were now filled with new wine, symbolizing the precious blood Christ would shed to pay for all our sins (Romans 3:25), the power of His blood to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:7), and the new covenant in His blood (Luke 22:20; Hebrews 12:24) that gives eternal life to all who trust Him! This miracle therefore marked the transition from adherence to the law for salvation, which is impossible, to salvation by God's grace.

The miracle was the first of many Jesus did, showing His Divine glory, and reinforcing His disciples’ faith in Him (John 2:11). In remembering this miracle, may we allow His living water (John 7:38) to flow through us, trust in the power of His blood represented by fruit of the vine, and be filled with wonder at His mercy, love and grace!

© 2016 Laurie Collett

Edited and reposted from the archives

Cisterns of Living Water

                                                                                                                  

  

Photo by hüsamettin_alpaslan 2011

I had a dream in which I attended a business meeting held in a shopping mall. I was unaware of the true nature of the meeting until I arrived, for I had been told only that it was to discuss an income-producing opportunity. I was surprised that those presenting at the meeting were women who appeared to hail from the 1970s, dressed in psychedelic floral or paisley print miniskirts or bell bottom pants, with bouffant hairdos.

The “opportunity” turned out to be door-to-door sales of waterbeds, to be purchased from these women acting as distributors. I knew this was nothing I wanted to get involved in, as the waterbed craze was over three decades ago, and I had heard bad things about them. Unless heated, they tended to be uncomfortably cool; they were bouncy and unstable; they were so heavy that they could put undue stress on the floor if placed in an upstairs room; and they might even leak.

Then I remembered that my husband had told me of a time when he went to clean out a vacated rental apartment, only to find that the former tenant had simply emptied his waterbed onto the floor, causing flooding, rot, mold, and water damage! Even worse, the sample that these women were showing us was made of thin plastic that already had small holes in it even though it had not yet held water!

So I politely declined the offer, and as the meeting was breaking up, a little girl I didn’t know came running up to me and threw her arms around me.

“Jesus loves you and so do I!” I told her.

“Then sing it with me,” she pleaded. I looked around timidly, somewhat reluctant to break into a hymn in a crowded shopping mall, but I couldn’t resist her fervent enthusiasm, and we began singing “Jesus Loves Me.”

As I awoke and pondered the meaning of the dream, Jeremiah 2:13 came to mind:

For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.

In the dream, the world was offering an opportunity of no value, namely an outdated, defective product sold at an inflated price by out-of-touch people who only wanted to line their own pocketbooks, and not benefit the sales people reporting to them or their customers. Even if able to hold water, the result would be a cold (Matthew 24:12; 2 Corinthians 11:27), unstable (James 1:8), heavy and potentially dangerous burden (Psalm 38:4; Isaiah 46:1; 58:6; Matthew 23:4).

Yet a little child was showing the way to the only opportunity of true value – to be saved by trusting in Jesus Christ, Who loved us so much that He died for us on the cross to pay our sin debt, and Who rose again to prove He is God and that through Him, all can have eternal life (1 Corinthians 15:1-4; John 3:16).

The book of Jeremiah begins with God’s great purpose for Jeremiah, whom God knew long before his conception and had preordained that he would be a prophet. When Jeremiah heard this from God Himself, he protested because he was only a child. But God touched his mouth, signifying that He would give him the words to speak, and promised him that He would accompany Jeremiah on his missions and deliver him from his enemies (Jeremiah 1:4-10,19).

Youth in itself is no excuse for not following God’s plan for our lives. In fact, Jesus loved children and said that the kingdom of heaven was theirs, and that even adults need childlike faith if they are to be born again (Matthew 18:3-4; 19:14; John 3:3-8). The prophet Isaiah foretells of little children fearlessly leading once wild beasts, now tame in the Millennial Kingdom where Jesus Christ shall reign (Isaiah 11:6-9)

Scripture says that children are the most genuine and perfect in their praise (Matthew 21:16). Samuel was another child whom God used as a prophet to bring His Word and foretell His judgment to a corrupt people (1 Samuel 3). The apostle Paul warned his protégé Timothy to continue preaching God’s Word, even though others might tend to disregard him because of his youth (1 Timothy 4:12).

In my dream, the child therefore symbolized the attitude of humility and trust we need to be saved by faith through His grace (Ephesians 2:8-9), and to praise Him and witness unashamedly of His love. She encouraged me by running to me and hugging me; I proclaimed His love for her, and my love for her which flowed from His love; and she encouraged me to join her in praise and worship!

When I was first saved I brimmed over with joy, zeal and excitement to tell others of the change He made in me (2 Corinthians 5:17. Galatians 6:15). Perhaps this child in my dream is a reminder not to leave that first love (Revelation 2:4), and to share it with others and to rejoice in Him always!

The Lord God raised up Jeremiah to warn His people of their wickedness, sin and particularly idolatry (Jeremiah 2), which violates the First Commandment putting God first (Exodus 20:3-5). He accused them of two evils: first forsaking God, Who is the Fountain of Living Water (Jeremiah 2:13; 17:13). Second, they turned to idols, which are like leaking water storage devices, or the defective waterbed in my dream.

Not only are these broken cisterns of no good, but their false promise of quenching thirst turns people away from the Living Water (Song of Solomon 4:15; Revelation 7:17), Who is the only source of eternal life. How often do the vain, empty promises of success, fame or fortune in the world lure people away (John 17:15-16; 1 Corinthians 5:10; Colossians 2:8; James 4:4) from true satisfaction and fulfilment (Romans 12:2; 1 Corinthians 2:12; 2 Corinthians 4:4), which is found only in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ?

But through His amazing grace, once saved we can ourselves become cisterns of living water! (John 4:10-11; 7:38). His Holy Spirit enters us at the moment of our salvation (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13; 4:30), so that we can be a channel through whom blessings flow! Like the little child who knows that Jesus loves her, we can by praise flowing from the Holy Spirit, through our hearts and from our lips, bless all who hear us with the living water of His Word!

© 2017 Laurie Collett

Reposted from the archives

Take the Plunge!

 

Photo by Hubert Stoffels 2009

Many years ago I went to a swimming hole in a pristine wooded area with a waterfall plunging into a refreshing stream. Some young people had a Labrador retriever puppy with them, and they took great delight in carrying him to the top of the falls, releasing him into the current, and letting him plunge to the bottom of the falls into the stream, where one of them waited with open arms to catch him.

Labradors love water, and he seemed to enjoy the experience. But even though he could see his master waiting below with open arms, he paddled all four limbs frantically the whole way down and even after he was safely in his master’s embrace.

I was by far the worst swimmer at school and at summer camp, and I know I tried the patience of many instructors who attempted, to no avail, to teach me to dive head first. Even though I could see where I was going and had my body aligned properly as I stood on the diving board, my head inevitably lifted the moment before I entered the water, resulting in a painful “belly flop.” 

One day the swimming instructor had me repeat this so many times that my chest turned beet red, and as a last resort, he picked me up and hurled me into the water head first. But in my stubborn refusal to submerge my head under the water, I belly-flopped yet again.

A popular beverage commercial urged us to “Take the Nestea plunge!” It showed a parched cowboy in the arid desert reaching for a can of tea and experiencing refreshment so profound that it was like falling backward into a cool blue swimming pool.

It was fear that kept me from diving head first even though I could see where I was going, and a survival instinct in the puppy that kept him paddling even though he didn’t need to. I can only imagine what it would be like to abandon all fear and plunge backward into a refreshing spring, not seeing where I would land and surrendering all control.

Yet that is exactly what we should do in our Christian walk. Trusting Christ means total surrender, with His perfect love casting out all fear (1 John 4:18), and His Living Water refreshing us so deeply that we will never thirst (John 4:10-14). Once we are born again by trusting in His death, burial and resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:1-4) as the only Way to Heaven (John 14:6), we are a new creature in Him (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Once we are saved, baptism is a picture of “taking the plunge,” falling back into the water as a symbol of dying to our sin nature, then rising again to walk in newness of life (Romans 6:4). Christians should no longer be governed by the desires of our flesh and sin nature, but instead we should yield control of our life to His Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:16-25) Who enters us at the moment of salvation (2 Corinthians 1:22; 5:5.

But so often I am like the puppy, paddling frantically against the current of my Lord’s will instead of trusting His everlasting arms (Deuteronomy 33:27) to shelter, protect and lead me. In my own flesh, I can do nothing (John 15:5), but with Him, all things are possible (Matthew 19:26; Philippians 4:13). Peter even walked on water when Jesus willed that he do so, but the instant he looked at the turbulent storm instead of his Lord’s steady gaze, he began to flounder and sink (Matthew 14:28-31).

We walk by faith, not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7), so ideally our journey in Christ should be more like the Nestea plunge rather than my painful experience of diving only when I can see where I’m headed. Only if we trust His infinite love (1 John 4:8-10), absolute power (Genesis 17:1, etc.), and complete wisdom (Psalm 139:1-18) can we fully experience the fountain of His blessings (Song of Solomon 4:15; Jeremiah 2:13; 17:13), being in His perfect will.

But if we try to do it ourselves, whether “it” is being saved, serving God, or loving others as He loves us, we are doomed to failure. How many people want to put off trusting Christ until they “clean up their act” or “get it all together”? How many new Christians put off witnessing to others until they learn “enough” about the Bible? Yet all that reasoning is futile because none of us is capable of doing anything in our own strength (2 Corinthians 12:9).

As Bible-believing Christians, we know that we are saved by God’s freely given gift of grace through our faith, not by works (Ephesians 2:8-9). There is nothing we can do to earn our way to Heaven, and any attempt to do that is an insult to God, Who gave His only Son as the perfect Sacrifice to pay for all our sins (John 3:16; Romans 3:23-25; 1 John 2:2). On the cross, He said “it is finished,” (John 19:30) because he paid our debt in full, once and for all, to reconcile sinful man to Holy God (2 Corinthians 5:18-19).

The tremendous relief many feel at the moment of salvation, far more refreshing than any earthly equivalent of the Nestea plunge, comes from leaving our burdens of sin and guilt behind and releasing them to Him, freeing us to receive His great blessings. In our gratitude, relief, and worship, it is natural to want to serve God by good works (James 2:17-26; Philippians 2:12). But there lurks the trap of feeling we need to work to please God or to figure out on our own how to serve Him.

Praise God that His love is infinite, so He can’t love us any less even when we fail Him, and He can’t love us any more when we work hard to please Him. As a loving Father, He places no pressure on us, yet sometimes we collapse under the self-imposed pressure to try in the flesh to work “for” Him. But paradoxically, the harder we work, the less we trust in Him. Only complete surrender to His will (James 4:7) and faith in His power to accomplish His good work through us (1 Corinthians 15:58; Philippians 1:6) allows His perfect plan to flow through our life (Ephesians 2:10; Jeremiah 29:11).

Saul of Tarsus learned that the hard way. As a religious zealot, he thought he was pleasing God by persecuting and killing Christians, for he did not accept Jesus as the Son of God. Finally, when Christ appeared to him on the road to Damascus, he recognized that He was God and surrendered completely to Jesus Christ as Lord of his life. The glorious light of Christ blinded him, perhaps in part so that he would have to rely on faith and not on his own vision (Acts 9:1-18).

Jesus gave Saul the new name of Paul, and more importantly, He gave Him new life, just as He does to everyone who asks Him (Acts 2:21; Romans 10:13). Except for Jesus Himself, Paul is the best Biblical example of what God can do through a fully surrendered life. Yet even Paul had the daily battle with his own desires and his own flesh (Romans 7:12-25) and had to put on the whole armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18) to die daily to self (1 Corinthians 15:31).

May He empty us of self, leaving us as a conduit through which His Living Water can flow to others. May we remember that it’s not about what we can do, but about Who He is and what He does through us! May we not be afraid to take the plunge headlong into the rushing current of His will, for the reward of a surrendered life is blissfully exhilarating!

© 2015 Laurie Collett

Flowing Triplets: Fount of Every Blessing

 

As we saw last week, the signature of the Trinity is evident even in the triune nature of water that sustains, nourishes, and cleanses us! This is true not only in the physical realm, but also in the spiritual sense. Christ Himself is the Living Water, the Fountain of every blessing, and the cleansing Flow Who alone can give us eternal life (John 3:16), abundant life (John 10:10), and salvation from our sins (Romans 1:16).

When Jesus spoke to the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4:1-42), she had come to draw water to satisfy her physical thirst (v. 13), but her needs were deeper than that. Her broken relationships had left her in an emotional desert (v. 16-18), and her spiritual drought led her to seek answers in religious tradition (v. 20) rather than in the Living Water Who had come to her personally.

Jesus knew the significance of this Divine appointment, for He left Judaea, and was headed to Galilee, but “must needs go through Samaria” (v.3-4). This was an odd route to choose, as the Jews of that day were prejudiced against the Samaritans and would have gone to great lengths to avoid them (v. 9). Yet He tells her that if she had realized the gift of God the Father in sending His Son to earth, she would have asked Him for Living Water, referring to the Holy Spirit (v. 10) He gives freely to anyone Who trusts Him.

Still not recognizing Who sat before her, the woman brings up three worldly obstacles to accepting Him, which are still a stumbling block to those who reject Him even today. She saw Him as lacking physical power (for He appeared to have no bucket to draw the water), as being no match for the physical challenge (the well was deep), and as lacking the prestige of the patriarch Jacob, who had given the well to provide water for himself, his descendants, and his cattle (v. 11-12):

Sadly, many lose out on the freely given gift of salvation because instead of trusting Him, they trust their own flesh (Philippians 3:4-8), they fear the opinions of the world (James 4:4), and they rely on their religious traditions (Colossians 2:8; 1 Peter 1:18).

Jesus told the Samaritan woman that whoever would receive His gift of living water would never thirst; for that water would be a well (fountain) of water, springing up into everlasting life (John 4: 14).  Later He offered the same free gift to the Jews gathered at the feast of tabernacles, saying “If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. As the Scriptures had prophesied, whoever believed in Christ would have rivers of living water flowing from his belly, with the Holy Spirit giving him the Word of Truth (John 7: 37-39).

God brought His chosen people, the nation of Israel, into the Promised Land, described as a good land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths that spring out of valleys and hills (Deuteronomy 8:7). On their journey, God provided water in the desert by standing before Moses on the rock in Horeb, having Moses strike the rock, and causing water to spring from the rock (Exodus 17: 5). God’s provision of water for His people was spiritual as well as physical, for Christ was the Rock from which their spiritual drink flowed (1 Corinthians 10:4).

But Moses was not permitted to enter the Promised Land because of his subsequent disobedience (Numbers 20: 7-12). On that occasion, God gave Moses clear instructions to provide water to the people by speaking to the rock which would give forth water, proving God’s goodness before their eyes, and bringing them water that flowed from the rock.

Instead, Moses did not believe God would do this, so he chastised the people and struck the rock twice with his rod. Because of the earlier incident, Moses may have thought the power was in the rod rather than in the One Who had given it to Him as a sign of His power. Moses even implied that he and Aaron, not God, had the power to provide the water by asking the people “must we fetch you water out of this rock?”

The sin of Moses was therefore threefold: lack of faith, disobedience, and pride, which are the root cause of all sin even today. The consequences of his sin were that he lost the power of his testimony with the Israelites; he was not permitted to enter the Promised Land; and he had struck the rock, or Christ, twice, foreshadowing how the Jews would scourge and crucify their promised Messiah.

Even though God provided abundantly for His people, they rejected Him as the fountain of living waters (Jeremiah 17:13). Instead they placed their trust in false gods that were as useless as broken cisterns that held no water and as polluted as the Egyptian waters of Sihor (the Nile) and the river waters of Assyria (Jeremiah 2:13-18).  But thankfully, God extended His gracious offer of salvation to all people, the Samaritan woman being an early example of a Gentile who could be grafted into God’s family tree by trusting in Christ (Romans 11:17-24).

The Song of Solomon speaks of the Bridegroom and His beloved as a metaphor foreshadowing the relationship between Christ and His church (Ephesians 5:23-32), meaning all those, whether Jew or Gentile, who are born again (John 3:3-8). He is a fountain of gardens, a well of living waters, and streams from Lebanon, and she is an enclosed garden, a spring shut up, and a fountain sealed, referring to her spiritual purity in Him. His living water allows her to be fruitful, producing pleasant fruits, spices, and healing plants (Song of Solomon 4:12-15).

As soon as the Samaritan woman realized that Jesus was the Christ, sent of the Father to be worshipped in Spirit and in truth (John 4:23-26), she left behind the cares of this world, symbolized by her water pot; ran back to the city without fear of facing those who had rejected and scorned her; and spread the Good News that she had found Christ (v. 28-29).

Once we are born again by placing our trust in His death, burial and resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:1-4) as the only Way to Heaven (John 14:6), should we not do the same, and tell everyone how He has changed us? Thanks to the Samaritan woman’s testimony, her salvation led to the salvation of those who believed her witness, and to the salvation of those who were just curious at first but who came to see Him for themselves (John 4:39-42). Praise God that whosoever believes in His Son can now have the Spirit of living water within him!

Not only is God the Living Water and the Fountain of every blessing, but His blood is the cleansing flow that washes away all our sins (1 John 1:7). The covenant God had with Israel was that He would wash her with water, thoroughly wash away the blood of her sins, and anoint her with oil (Ezekiel 16:8).

Old Testament sacrifices requiring animal blood and ritual cleansing with water and herbs only covered sins and had to be repeated often (Leviticus 14: 4, 51-52). Trespass offerings of oil and blood of the slain animal had to be placed on the right ear, right thumb, and right great toe of the person to be cleansed (Leviticus 14:14,17,25,28)

Yet Christ’s shed blood that flowed freely for us has once and for all removed us from our sins (1 John 1:7), past, present and future. He is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth, Who loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and made us kings and priests unto God and His Father (Revelation 1:5-6).

Before Jesus even reached the cross, His blood flowed mingled with sweat (Luke 22:44) in His passionate prayer at Gethsemane; from the crown of thorns piercing His head (Matthew 27:29; Mark 15:17); and from the agonizing whipping He bore on His back (Isaiah 53:5; 1 Peter 2:24). On the cross, blood flowed from His nail-pierced hands and feet (Luke 24:39-40) and gushed from His side, where the soldier stabbed Him, releasing not only blood but water (John 19:34).

Even in the Great Tribulation, those who trust Christ and deny the antichrist will be washed clean in the blood of the Lamb, will never thirst again, and will be led to living fountains of waters (Revelation 7:13-17).

Praise God that Christ will come again, bringing peace to Israel like a river and glory to the Gentiles like a flowing stream, nourishing all with His life-giving sustenance! (Isaiah 66:12). In that day, when living waters shall flow from Jerusalem; the Lord shall be king over all the earth, there shall be one Lord, and His Name shall be One (Zechariah 14:8-9).

Revelation 21:6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.

© 2014 Laurie Collett

Flowing Triplets: Living Water Sustains Life!

 

Photo by D. Illiff

Jesus Christ is the full expression of the Triune Godhead (Colossians 2:9), with love, light, and living water flowing freely from His radiant Presence. The essence of water itself reflects His Triune signature, beginning with its molecular structure composed of three atoms: two hydrogen and one oxygen. In its pure form, this vital substance is tasteless, odorless, and colorless.

At temperatures found on the planet Earth, water exists abundantly in all three states of physical matter: water (liquid), ice (solid; Job 6:16; 38:29; Psalm 147:17), and water vapor (gas), and it is the only common substance found on earth in all three states. Earth’s treasure of water is contained above the earth in clouds (Proverbs 8:28), on the earth’s surface, and within the earth as groundwater, including soil moisture, water in underground caves, and aquifers (Genesis 7:11; 2 Samuel 22:16). 

Sources of water on the earth’s surface include bodies of water, which cover about 71% of the earth’s surface, as well as water contained in plants and in animals. Much of the water humans consume comes from fruits and vegetables such as melon or cucumbers (Numbers 11:5), and even water stored in cacti or other succulents can save the life of someone in the desert far from any other water source.

God created bodies of water (Genesis 1:10; Proverbs 8:28) including oceans, lakes and rivers, containing salt water, fresh water, or brackish (a mixture of salt and fresh). Ocean waves, which consist of several crests (peaks) separated by troughs (valleys), can be described using three characteristics. The height of the waves is the amplitude, the distance between neighboring wave crests is the wavelength, and the time between neighboring wave crests is the period.

God designed an amazing system to circulate water through its various storehouses, thereby cleansing it and providing us with drinkable water. Although discovery of this water cycle was credited to the imperial Romans, the Bible described it more than one thousand years earlier (Job 26:8; Ecclesiastes 11:3; Amos 9:6).

There are three ways that water leaves the surface of the earth and returns to the atmosphere: evaporation, in which liquid water heated by the sun turns to water vapor; sublimation, in which ice gives off water vapor without melting first, and transpiration, in which water molecules move through a plant, entering from soil through the roots and evaporating from leaves, flowers, and stems.

Atmospheric water returns to earth in three distinct forms of precipitation: rain (liquid droplets), snow (ice crystals), and hail (frozen balls of rain). Sleet is actually a mixture of rain and snow. We think of snowflakes as being six-sided, but the hexagonal shape actually arises from a triangle. On rare occasions and at temperatures of around −2 °C (28 °F), snowflakes form as triangular crystals with three equal sides.

This three-sided snowflake can give rise to the characteristic hexagonal snowflake, known as a Koch snowflake, by dividing each side of the triangle into three segments of equal length, forming an equilateral triangle that has the middle segment from each side of the original triangle as its base and that points outward, and continuing the process to develop intricate crystalline shapes that have six-sided symmetry.

Water is required for life on earth for three reasons. It is a necessary ingredient in biochemical reactions that sustain life; it dissolves so many substances that it is called the universal solvent; and it has unique physical properties offering lubrication, cushioning, and thermal protection. Photosynthesis is the biochemical reaction occurring in all green plants, in which water plus carbon dioxide (containing three atoms, namely one carbon and two oxygen) are transformed into glucose (simple sugar) and oxygen.

This reaction serves three essential functions. Firstly, it converts light energy from the sun into chemical energy stored in sugar where it can be used by plants and animals. Without photosynthesis, we would all starve. Secondly, it uses up carbon dioxide, which animals and humans exhale, and which, in excess, would suffocate us. And thirdly, it generates oxygen, which animals and humans need to fuel their muscles, their heart, and chemical reactions releasing energy needed for other cells to function.

Water is the universal solvent, meaning that it can dissolve most substances. (Thankfully, it doesn’t dissolve everything, or we couldn’t find a container to store it in, and we would melt like the Wicked Witch of the West when it rains!).

Because of its solvent qualities, water dissolves minerals found in the sea and within plant and animal cells where they sustain life. Water transports other vital chemicals dissolved in our blood plasma to where they are needed in the body. Finally, the solvent properties of water allow us to use it for cleansing, keeping our bodies, food, and environment relatively free of disease-causing and otherwise unpleasant contaminants (Leviticus 15).

Minerals dissolved in the sea are consumed by God’s abundant creation of fish, shellfish, and marine manmals (Genesis 1:20-21), as well as of algae, seaweed, and other water plants that animals and humans eat to avail themselves of these nutrients. The oceans are still a largely untapped source of undiscovered organisms that may provide as yet unknown health benefits.

Chemicals dissolved in our intestinal juices, blood plasma, and urine are transported to where they are needed as our amazingly designed body (Psalm 139:14) digests food, provide organs with raw materials for specialized growth and function, and eliminates waste. Without water, which makes up 55% to 78% of the body, all these essential processes literally dry up and shut down the body.

God even utilized the mechanical properties of water in His design of our bodies. For example, water lubricates our joints. The two bone surfaces, which are relatively hard (22% water) do not contact one another directly, which would soon cause considerable grinding, wear and tear. Rather, the contacting surfaces are covered with cartilage, a firm gel-like substance containing 65%-85% water, and lined with a membrane secreting synovial fluid (90% water) to reduce friction.

The low compressibility of water makes it an excellent cushion, shock absorber, and protection not only for the joint surfaces, but also for the brain and spinal cord, which are bathed and suspended in cerebrospinal fluid, and for the unborn baby, who floats in amniotic fluid within his mother’s womb (Psalm 139:13).

Water has a very high specific heat capacity. This helps the body to maintain a normal temperature by conserving heat when needed and by releasing heat when blood flow is directed to the skin surface. Heat stored in the water content of blood can dissipate from dilated blood vessels through heat transfer processes of radiation (directly emitted from the skin), convection (carried away from the skin by a breeze), and conduction (transferred from the skin to a cooler substance, like a babbling brook). Sweat glands also secrete sweat, which is 98% water, to cool the body by evaporation.

Throughout the Bible, we see God providing His children with lifesaving water (Isaiah 41:17). In the Garden of Eden, God made a mist from the earth to water the whole surface of the ground (Genesis 2:6), and a river flowing out of Eden to water the garden (Genesis 2:10). When Hagar and Ishmael were about to die of thirst in the desert, God provided a well (Genesis 21:14-19)

As the Hebrews wandered through the desert, God brought forth water from a rock (Isaiah 48:2). The Promised Land where He led them was a land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths that spring out of valleys and hills (Deuteronomy 8:7). In the Millennial Kingdom, living waters will go forth from Jerusalem (Zechariah 14:8), the rivers of Judah will flow with waters, the mountains with new wine, and the hills with milk (Joel 3: 18).

Thank God for His precious gift of water, without which we cannot live! But even more essential is that Christ is the Living Water giving us abundant and eternal spiritual life, for all who trust in His death, burial and resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:1-4) as the only Way to Heaven (John 14:6)!

© 2014 Laurie Collett

Reposted from the archives

Mission Accomplished?

 

I had a dream in which I was shopping with my husband and my late father. The layout of this huge department store was similar to an IKEA in that there was a very convoluted path through a vast array of displays and merchandise. If you wanted to purchase anything, you had to take a ticket and pay for it at the cashier, not visible and seemingly miles away.

Unlike IKEA, however, the store building itself was amazingly majestic and resembled a historic bank building in downtown Tampa where we live, with towering granite pillars and elegant marble floors. Surprisingly, however, embedded into the flooring at various intervals were small, shiny mosaics in the likeness of different Pokemon cartoon characters.

An announcement came over the loudspeakers that closing time was fast approaching. We had become so caught up in the experience of this unusual place that we had forgotten why we came there, which was to purchase a baby gift! We decided that my husband and father would attempt to find a suitable gift while I would return to where we had spotted a couch my husband and I wanted to buy, so that I could get the ticket and meet them at the register before it was too late.

They indicated where I should go and took off in the opposite direction. As I ran toward the furniture department I suddenly realized that in my haste, I had dropped the coat I was carrying, and I rushed back to try to find it, to no avail. Even worse, now I had totally lost my bearings, I had no idea where I was, and the store was deserted, with no one to ask for help.

It seemed that there was only one way I could go, which was downward toward the center of the store, even though I sensed that I needed to be upward near the periphery. I ended up in the central court, where a sparkling three-tiered fountain was overflowing into a lavish pool lined with shining gold tiles.

When I awoke, I had mixed emotions of regret over not accomplishing my mission, and yet relief to have found the refreshing fountain. I might have forgotten about the dream, had it not been for an experience the following day of seeing the movie “Mary Poppins Returns” with my family. A preview before the main feature was of the latest Pokemon movie, reminding me of the strange mosaics embedded in the floor in my dream. In the Mary Poppins movie itself, much of the action took place in a London bank building very similar to the setting of my dream.

From the opening scene of the movie I found myself smiling and was encouraged by the positive themes of remembering our blessings no matter how dire the circumstances (1 Thessalonians 5:18; Psalm 68:19; 103:2); believing that all things are possible (Matthew 19:26) and can work together for good (Romans 8:28); and knowing that we can be reunited with loved ones who have stepped out into eternity (2 Corinthians 5:8).

It is not a Christian film, so there were no explicit references to the Biblical basis for these convictions, but the symbolism and allusions were there for the viewer who was aware of these. Most encouraging of all was the repeated reminder to “Look up!” which of course brought to my mind that the Christian should be eagerly awaiting Christ’s second return (Luke 21:28)! And also that our help comes from above (Psalm 121:1), from the Father of lights (James 1:17).

But back to the symbolism of the dream. Traveling through the twists and turns of the building, seldom being able to see what was right around the bend, was a suitable metaphor for our earthly journey. I was with my late father, who represents the past that we cannot change, and my husband, who is the central person in my present reality. Yet our purpose in coming to the store was to purchase a baby gift, preparing for the unknown future, as it was unclear to me who the parents were or when the baby would be born.

Sadly, the dream ended with mission unaccomplished, leading me to consider the obstacles that hinder us (Hebrews 12:1) from fulfilling the unique purpose God has intended for each of us since before the beginning of time (Ephesians 2:10). 

The setting in what appeared to be a bank building may have been a warning not to get caught up in the world system, now governed by Satan (Ephesians 2:2), with its emphasis on earthly riches, power and status (Matthew 6:24), and its spiritual wickedness in high places (Ephesians 6:12). We must be on the lookout, because the devil himself is prowling about like a roaring lion eager to devour us (1 Peter 5:8).

In fanciful contrast to the austere architecture were the cartoon characters inlaid as mosaics in the marble floors. The preview for the Pokemon movie also reminded me of today’s disturbing trend toward virtual reality, as people spend exorbitant amounts of time interacting with technology instead of with one another. This is an effective strategy of Satan, as it distracts from meaningful relationships and conversations (Luke 10:38-42) through which we can be an effective witness of salvation through Jesus Christ (Acts 4:12).

Another trap that Satan sets for us is to become absorbed with creature comforts, which appeal to the lust of the flesh (Galatians 5:16; 1 John 2:16). My desire to purchase a sofa in the dream may have reflected the danger of being a “couch potato,” getting too lazy and comfortable (Romans 12:11) to be an effective warrior for the Lord (2 Timothy 2:1-4).

In the dream I lost my coat and had to retrace my steps to try to find it, only to lose time without regaining the coat. At the moment we are saved (Ephesians 2:8-9), Christ clothes us in His robe of perfect righteousness (Job 29:14; Isaiah 61:10), but if we willfully sin or rebel against Him we act as if we are attempting to remove His protective, cleansing, holy garment.

The loudspeaker in the dream announced that time was running out. Surely in our own earthly lives time is our greatest asset, and its loss or waste our deadliest foe (James 4:14; Job 14:1). As the End Times draw nearer and our own allotted days on earth draw to a close, it is vitally important that we redeem the time (Ephesians 5:16; Colossians 4:5). May we use these precious moments to draw souls to Christ by witnessing (Matthew 28:18-20) of the need for faith in His death, burial and resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:1-4) as the only Way (John 14:6) to Heaven!

My father and husband chose the right path by seeking a baby gift, symbolizing preparing the way for souls to be born again (John 3:3-8) and to be nurtured as new babes in Christ (1 Corinthians 3:1). I didn’t know the identity of the baby in the dream, and it may be that witnessing online or in public, living a Godly life, or praying for strangers may lead people to the Lord even if we don’t know who they are in this life. It also reminds me of the gifts brought by the Magi to the young Child Jesus (Matthew 2:11), and that wise men still seek Him and honor Him with gifts of their time, talent and treasure.

Yet I found myself on a different path, backsliding away from the intended goal. Thankfully, when I could go no further down that wrong road, I was in the presence of a beautiful, refreshing fountain. Jesus Christ Himself is the Living Water, the Fountain Who forever cleanses us and quenches our thirst (John 4:10-13; 7:38; Revelation 7:17).  The fountain was three-tiered, for in Jesus is the fullness of the Triune Godhead bodily, God the Father, God the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Colossians 2:9).

Once we are truly saved by trusting Him as our Lord and Savior, He is ours and we are His, no matter how far we go astray (John 10:27-29; Romans 8:35-39). Heaven will be our home, replete with streets of gold (Revelation 21:20) and the Lamb seated on His throne, sparkling like a jewel with halos of rainbow light (Revelation 4:2-3).

But how sad it would be to leave this earth without His mission for us being accomplished, and to miss out on heavenly rewards (1 Corinthians 3:10-15) He longs to give us! As this year ends, and if He grants us a new beginning (Lamentations 3:22-23) by bringing us into the New Year, may we resist the wiles of the devil (James 4:7), set aside earthly distractions, redeem the time, and devote our whole being to serving Him!

© 2018 Laurie Collett

Reposted from the archives