Water…
Two hydrogen atoms plus one oxygen, linked together to form one of the strangest, most pervasive, most essential substances on this planet.
Hydrogen—gaseous and highly flammable.
Oxygen—gaseous and essential in our blood and brains.
When holding hands in the right numbers, these elements become life-sustaining liquid. Unless it’s cold—then they regiment themselves into billions of ornate crystals. Or if it’s warm, then they float up into billowing clouds, only to fall back down in vast armies.
This liquid refreshes; this liquid destroys. When pressurized, it can cut through slabs of stone like a child’s finger through cake. It flies, it falls, it freezes. It can be as still and beautiful as heaven’s mirror, or it can rage, terrifying even the most powerful nations. It cuts canyons and smashes cities. It soothes a dry mouth. It never stops moving—flying, freezing, thawing, falling, pooling, and flying again.
At this very moment, somewhere in this world, the molecules of water that spilled out of Christ’s side on the cross are still at work—floating in clouds, falling on windshields, heaving in the tidal seas, and moistening eyes. The same is true of the water that parted in the Red Sea, the water that parted in the Jordan, the water used in Christ’s baptism. And soon, it might be in baptism that we see water as its truest self. It is death. It is life. It is destruction. It is resurrection. Water forms another world inside of our own, full of life and death, wherever it accumulates—populated with the smallest and the largest creatures ever crafted, full of decay, full of renewal.
I’m going to take you into that wonderful creative power, into that living water. That God, through the invention and creation of this liquid, created an entire world of the literal and metaphorical power of what, why, and how He intends water to be a source of life—both in this physical and corporal world and in the spiritual, eternal world.
I’m going to show you how God has used water in everyday puddles and ponds, in vast rivers and oceans that defy belief, in science fiction, and in little beauties beyond the craftsmanship of any human artist. Together, like the baptized, we will enter the liquid world and we will re-emerge changed—with a little more knowledge of the Artist who made it all.
The Spiritual and Physical Necessity of Water
God’s dream for water is woven into the very fabric of our existence. We are not merely human beings having a spiritual experience; we are spiritual beings having a human experience. And in this experience, our bodies, our souls, and our very existence are dependent on water.
Water is the foundation of life. In Genesis 1:2, we see that before anything else, “the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.” Water was there from the very beginning, waiting to be shaped by the hands of the Master Architect. He designed us so that every cell in our bodies thirsts for it, needs it, and cannot survive without it.
Just as water is necessary for physical survival, Jesus tells us that He is the source of living water for our souls. In John 4:14, Jesus speaks to the Samaritan woman and says, “Whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” This is the ultimate dream of water—not only as sustenance for our bodies but as the quenching of the deepest thirst within our souls.
The Power and Mystery of Water in Scripture
Throughout Scripture, water is a symbol of both destruction and renewal. It was the flood in Noah’s day that cleansed the earth of sin (Genesis 7). It was the parting of the Red Sea that delivered God’s people from bondage (Exodus 14). It was the Jordan River that the Israelites crossed into the Promised Land (Joshua 3). And it was in the waters of baptism that Jesus Himself was revealed as the Son of God (Matthew 3:16-17).
Water represents transformation. It is an instrument of both judgment and grace, a reminder that God is sovereign over creation. In Revelation 22:1, John describes the vision of heaven, saying, “Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb.” This is the final fulfillment of God’s dream for water—a river that gives life unending, a source that sustains forever.
The Goodness of the Father Who Provides
God does not leave His children to thirst. He is a good, good Father who ensures that we have everything we need. Just as He provided manna from heaven, He provided water from the rock in the desert (Exodus 17:6). And now, He provides living water through Jesus Christ.
We are surrounded by water because we need it for survival. And in the same way, we are surrounded by God’s grace because we need it for eternal life. Jesus did not just give us water—He became our Living Water, our eternal sustenance. He is the well that never runs dry, the fountain that never ceases to flow.
The Woman at the Well: An Invitation to Drink
In John 4, we see a powerful example of God’s provision through the story of the Samaritan woman at the well. Jesus, weary from His journey, stops at Jacob’s well. A woman comes to draw water, and He asks her for a drink. She is astonished, for Jews did not associate with Samaritans. But Jesus responds:
“If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” (John 4:10)
The woman, still thinking in physical terms, questions Him, and Jesus explains:
“Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (John 4:13-14)
This encounter shows us that Jesus does not simply offer temporary relief—He offers eternal satisfaction. Just as God provided water in the wilderness, He now provides salvation through Christ.
The Invitation: Come and Drink
As we reflect on the wonder of water, we must ask ourselves—are we drinking from the right source? Are we quenching our thirst with temporary things, or are we seeking the eternal, living water that Jesus offers?
Revelation 21:6 says, “To the thirsty, I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life.” This is God’s invitation. He calls us to drink deeply, to immerse ourselves in His presence, to be transformed by His Spirit. And one day, when we stand before Him in eternity, we will never thirst again.
Come and drink. Come and be filled. Come and live forever in the endless river of His grace. Amen.