Living Water

I had a strange dream last night. I was a child visiting a home with other children in a very poor place. It was the kind of dream that was just a flash, a very small snippet. I must have asked for a glass of water and the children told me there was none, but there was a place “down town” where you could get water. It flowed all the time. The dreamy look on their faces as they told about this place where fresh water always flowed was haunting.

We are so blessed we are spoiled. We are so blessed that many of the references of scripture, originally delivered at a poorer time, have lost their power. I think of Jesus describing Himself as “Living Water.” He gave that description to a woman who was drawing water from a well at the hottest time of the day. We learn more about her through the story. We learn she is there because she is a woman of poor reputation. She can’t draw water in the cool of the morning or evening when most of the women of the town are there. She is a woman “with a reputation.”

The concept of having to leave our homes to “gather water” is foreign to us. We are used to having it instantly in the privacy of our homes. We get our water in so many forms that the power and the simple purity of water has lost its meaning.

I have blood drawn several times a year. Often I have to be “fasting.” They have trouble getting a good vein on me. For the first time yesterday, the young lady drawing my blood told me that even when a “fasting” sample is required I could and should have some water before I go to have blood drawn. It fills my veins and makes it easier to draw the blood. Water is so pure that ingesting it won’t affect the accuracy of the blood work. You would think someone would have mentioned that before now. Almost all of our bodies are water. It’s obvious we should consume as much of it in as pure a form as possible.

As I have gotten older I have come to appreciate the deliciousness of a cold glass of water. It’s the first thing I consume in the morning and most of the time it’s what I have with a meal. Jesus compared Himself to living water. Like water, He’s really all we need. We don’t need to carbonate Him or dress Him up with additives or sweeteners. In fact, when we add something to Him, we dilute His power to refresh, renew and sustain our lives.

We probably need less of almost everything we have in our lives: less food, less entertainment, less distraction, and less wealth. Maybe even less study, preaching, teaching and church. We would have less fear and more joy. We need more water and more Jesus and less of everything else.

Be blessed.

Nick