Come to the Water
At a time of deep distress and confusion about a family situation, my good friend was finding some solace by sitting on the dock, gazing at the lake. The gentle breeze and ripples on the water were washing away some of the stress and anxiety she had been experiencing. As she sat there, a sweet song was given to her ~ not of her own effort, but as it were just forming with simple lyrics and melody in her mind.
“What can I do when I’m feeling lonely, what can I do when my heart is sad, what can I do when all joy has left me? I’ll go to the water, go to the water, I’ll go to the water to soothe my soul, I’ll go to the water to soothe my soul…
What do I do when I’m feeling happy, what do I do when my heart is glad, what do I do when I’m filled with joy? I go to the water, go to the water, I go to the water to sing my song, I go to the water to sing my song…”
Her words sung with a sweet and gentle tune in her lovely soprano voice were a blessing for me. She recognized them as a gift, provided for her by Something beyond herself. They brought me to reflect on the power of the Living Waters that flow from the Heart of Jesus. These waters are within us always, flowing from the fount of our baptisms into the life of the Trinity. They refresh and renew us, washing away the anxieties and pain often encountered in our earthly pilgrimage, and replacing these with the peace only God can sustain for us.
How do we acquire this Living Water? God’s Word gives us the answer: “if anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘ from his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’ But this He spoke of the Spirit, Whom those who believed in Him were to receive…” (John 7:38-39)
The water of the lake is a temporary relief; the Living Waters of the Spirit are forever! When Jesus speaks to the woman at the well in John 4, He says, “everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I will give them will become a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” Not only will we be refreshed, but we will overflow to others for their refreshment also!
Lord God, thank You for the precious gift of Living Water which you pour into our souls. May our thirst always be directed to this Water, given by the Holy Spirit, that it may be a source of refreshment for our companions on the journey…
Spiritual Sun Pennies 