Monday, January 31, 2022
Healing Waters
Water can either drown or save, flood or quench. Mariners study charts of tidal patterns in order to make port or set sail at propitious times. Enormous damns force water into sluice ways, churning over mighty dynamos that produce electricity to power society. Creeks, rivers and bays move headlong to oceans while quiet backwaters and bayous create safe harbors for fish and fowl. Water gathers itself in small and large lakes; water roils little and big seas; salt water meets fresh as worlds and habitats collide. Water: the essential element for life, the basic building block of the human body, the curse and cure of humankind.
When we remember the story of the flood that overcame Noah’s world and John’s recounting of Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan, we witness water’s dichotomy. In chapter 47 of his prophecy, Ezekiel describes wading into the Wonderful Stream until it becomes a river that could not be crossed except by swimming (Ezekiel 47:5) This stream is the home of every sort of living creature that can multiply. This river does not destroy but instead nourishes every kind of tree whose fresh fruit serves as food and whose leaves heal and medicate; fishermen spread wide nets to haul in the bounty that feeds and sustains. This restorative stream nourishes the land and all those who live nearby, bringing fresh life and new beginnings . . . just as Christ nourishes and feeds each of us.
Mineral springs and mud flats have for centuries served humankind as a curative for physical ailments. When a crippled man cannot move quickly enough to enter the pool in Bethesda, Jesus heals him – and so Christ becomes the healing water this man so eagerly seeks. (John 5:1-15).
Each of us might look for our own Sheep Gate and Siloam Pool to wait on the life-giving presence of Christ. Each of us might embrace Ezekiel’s vision of waters that heal. As we go through our afternoon and evening, let us consider where and how we find the cleansing we need to survive. Let us consider who and why we follow as we wade into the healing waters of peace.
In his book THE BIG THIRST: THE SECRET LIFE AND TURBULENT FUTURE OF WATER, Charles Fishman tells us the story of our obsession with and neglect of this most important resource. He points out that civilizations will rise and fall with their ability to manage water. And he reminds us that this valuable resource must be preserved and used well if we hope to move into the future. To learn more, visit: http://www.thebigthirst.com/the-book/
Image from: http://wallpaperswide.com/water-desktop-wallpapers.html
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