“I give water in the wilderness, rivers in the desert, to give drink to my chosen people.”  Isaiah 43:20

“Let anyone who is thirsty come to me.”  John 7:37  

I see plastic bottles, half-full, on the ground.  I have seen runners dump it over their heads.  I walk 12 feet down the hall, grudgingly, for a drink of it in the middle of the night.  Others, especially women, trudge miles and carry heavy vessels, filled with the “precious burden” to sustain their families.  Some watch frantically as it carries their home away.  We try to control it, harness and divert it; but we can’t make rain start, nor stop.   

God provided water for the Israelites with a tap of Moses’ rod.  Why for the Israelites then, but not for thirsty people today?  Lives could be saved.  Miracles like that at Mt. Horeb don’t seem to happen anymore.  Some time ago I read that someone did a poll asking:  How is God doing?  Ratings were low.  Is the problem that God is not doing very well?  Or could it be that we are not doing enough?  

While Jesus walked this Earth for our salvation he showed compassion for the whole person.  Water saves and revives.  My dry, drooping plants lift up quickly with life-giving water.  In the same way people are lifted up when we pour out our concern and provide care, needed drink, food, a word of comfort and encouragement … or nonjudgmental silence, to those thirsting for attention and kindness and understanding.  The God of compassion still works and provides when we who live in his name, become the manifestation of his compassion.   

We ask for strength for those living with limited access to clean water, for those living with too little and for those battling to save their homes and livelihoods from too much.  We ask for wisdom for those who work in water management, and for good conservation judgment for all of us in our daily use of your precious resources.  Amen  

Verla Olson       

Ministries
Teaching Mission Party