June 29, 2017

I was a young child when a pastor visited our Sunday school. We watched as he lifted a glass of water to his lips and drank all of it. Then he said, “Water – the strongest drink in the world – it holds up battleships.”

Over time, I learned the significance of the power of water. Water makes the difference between life and death for plants, animals and humans. Survival is possible for quite a while without food, but not without water.

I can only imagine what the pioneers who traveled miles through dusty terrain in hot weather felt when they came upon a stream or a large body of water. They did not need ice cubes to find refreshment in that water. To them, it was life. When they saw the Snake River or the Columbia, they must have been overjoyed.

Carol and I have traveled through desert-like areas where there was no obvious vegetation growing. We wondered what could possibly survive in that place. But years later, we traveled through the same area and viewed beautiful fields of thriving fruit trees, vegetables and other agriculture. It was water that made the difference; water is powerful.

We should not be surprised that Jesus called Himself “Living Water” and invited people to believe Him and know eternal life. To the woman at the well in Samaria, He offered water that would quench her thirst forever. Eventually, she understood that He was talking about water far more important than what was in the well (see John 4).

Jesus declared that He is “truth,” and in John 8:32 He said, “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” As water sets desert-like terrain free to produce abundant crops, Jesus sets humans free from the bondage of sin to enjoy life today and forever.

Pastor Bill Ehmann