I am mesmerized by the flow of water. I could watch a rippling river, a cascading waterfall, or ocean waves rolling onshore for hours. I love the way the water looks and sounds and feels. I believe water is one of God's greatest wonders.
At its most basic level, water helps sustain our bodies and our world. But on a deeper, human-spirit level, water for the soul is equally valuable. There's something about a tumbling ocean wave, rushing river rapids, or a gentle stream that can bring peace to my weary soul, healing to my troubled heart, or awesome wonder that makes me feel God’s presence.
There's a story John the disciple told of a time when Jesus met a woman by a well. As she came to draw water for her daily needs, Jesus was waiting for her. She was surprised when He even acknowledged her and furthermore when He made an unanticipated offer. He invited her to ask for Living Water:
"The water that
I will give will become a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
Obviously Jesus was talking about a different kind of water than what we know as H2O: a spiritual, soul-quenching form of sustenance we all long for; when we’re tired, when we’re lonely, when we’re feeling defeated, when we’re heartbroken, confused, lost, scared…
I find this life-giving water as I seek Jesus, learn from His Spirit, receive His love and peace, and trust Him daily. But I also get this feeling of God's presence and love and power and gentleness when I see and hear the flow of water. As I was walking along the river behind my neighborhood this week, I began to wonder why that is. Why am I so mesmerized? Why is the flow of water so peaceful, inspiring, and enchanting? Why does it always make me feel so close to God?
I looked in the Bible for answers to that question, and first I found others felt the same way. In Psalm 42, the writer compares a deer longing for a stream of water to their own longing for God. In Genesis 16 an angel of the Lord meets Hagar in the wilderness when she is sitting beside a spring, feeling lost and abandoned. In Genesis 24 when Rebekah meets a servant of Abraham who wants to take her back to Canaan to wed Isaac, their encounter takes place at the community water spring, and she just knows she’s supposed to go with him. In Isaiah 58, those who are guided by the Lord and live obediently are said to be like a well-watered garden, and a source of refreshment for others.
Water is mentioned over 450 times in the Bible and is often associated with longing for God, being in God’s presence, hearing God, and following God. And you don’t have to read far to find the first instance water is mentioned. In Genesis 1:2 it says, The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
God doesn’t even get to the first recorded day of Creation in Genesis 1:3 when He created light before He mentions water covering the earth! Before there was light, there was water, and God's Spirit was there, "hovering". This word for hover can also be translated as, "move with the feeling of tender love; like an eagle brooding over its young, or parents who cherish their children."*
Huh, imagine that.
In John 3:16 it says, For God so loved the world... And from the very beginning, He was there,
bringing our world into existence and crafting it so beautifully for us to
inhabit and enjoy—and to know Him. He's as close as the nearest drop of water,
and considering our bodies are more than 50% water, that's pretty close.
So the next time you're walking on a beach or hike to a waterfall or hear a rippling river or let water flow from your kitchen faucet, let it be a reminder to you that God is close; He is love; and He is there to meet your every need.
"Let us press on to know the LORD...He will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth.”
Hosea 6:3
*Taken from Gesenius' Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon, courtesy of BlueLetterBible.org
