Fall Background

Sunday, October 12, 2008

Refreshed by Living Water

Hearing the rain on my window reminds me of something a classmate said freshman year: he enjoyed the rain because it reminded him of cleansing and renewal. The rain washes things away and promotes growth. It got me thinking about the symbolism of water in the Bible. When God chose to cleanse the earth of a great amount of wickedness, He used flood waters (Gen 6&7). Noah's ark was a symbol of what Christ would do for us. The ark had one door just as there's only one way to heaven: through Christ. The people He created to glorify and fellowship with Him betrayed Him yet God didn't completely destroy the earth. He made a way for saving grace. Believers Baptism is a literal symbol of being "washed by the water", reborn in Christ.
Jesus spoke to a woman at a well about "living water" that eternally sustains. (John 4: 7-15)
There are so many references to the spiritually cleansing, restoring and sustaining aspects of water. Its amazing and humbling how much our God understands us. He uses examples our human minds can grasp to help us see His majesty and perfect plan.
After living at the beach for the summer, human appreciation of beauty became even more real to me. In college, one of my favorite stress relievers was to take a walk on campus especially in the evenings or on a calm weekend afternoon. I was especially drawn to the calm of the reflection pond and the fields of green accented with the colors of flowers. The commonality of what attracted me was nature. At the beach, I loved the feel of the sand, the wind carrying the sea air, the rolling waves....God's put something in us that craves the beauty of His creation. He's left us symbols of Himself and His beauty for us to enjoy in our temporary home. How great is our God who thinks of even the little things He knows we need.

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