My daughter Sharon has been the one to get my website up and running and to post these blogs for me. She asked how many weeks I'd be writing this series on the Bible—as though I would come to the end and not have anything more to write on this topic. I told her not to worry, I wouldn't come to the end of it!
And that has gotten me thinking more about the Bible. It is the inexhaustible fountainhead of life-giving water, the spring of continuous, endless fresh supply. Not far from the church we attended as a family during my high school days was an artesian well. The water bubbled up from the ground in a never-ending supply, cool and clean. People came from miles around to fill their jugs. It was so popular that a cute little well was built over it. Our well water at home was so full of iron that we had to use a water softener to make it usable and palatable. But this water—it was so clear and fresh and wonderful. So occasionally we would stop to fill jugs, too. We usually had to wait in line.
What a great picture of the Word of God! It bubbles over with endless fresh supply. The Bible uses water as a metaphor to describe itself. In Ephesians 5, Paul exhorts husbands to wash their wives with the water of the Word. On the night before He was crucified, Jesus told His disciples that they were clean because of the Word that He had spoken to them. The Word of God is the water that washes over our souls and cleanses us.
Much has been written in health books and blogs about the importance of drinking lots of water every day. The insides of our bodies need cleansing, too. And not just cleansing, but also rejuvenating. Fifty to sixty-five percent of an adult's body is made up of water. An infant's body is seventy-five percent water! Here are some fun facts to know and tell: According to H.H. Mitchell, Journal of Biological Chemistry 158, the brain and heart are composed of 73% water, and the lungs are about 83% water. The skin contains 64% water, muscles and kidneys are 79%, and even the bones are watery: 31%.† Now, that should convince anyone of the need to drink more water! Every cell in our body needs cleansing and replenishing.
Well, now we're talking science. Yes, but we are also talking about the realm of the spirit. I have come to believe that everything in the physical world has a spiritual counterpart. In fact, I believe that God created the physical as a means to reveal spiritual truth to us. If our physical bodies need water to function, to stay healthy and cleansed from dirt and toxins, wouldn't our souls and spirits need the same? That's why the Word of God is likened to water. What if we went a week without water? What would happen? Well, going that long without water can cause death. It's pretty serious business. Yet we neglect this need of the spirit. How many of us have spirits that are dehydrated and shriveled up from lack of Water, the water of the Word? Oh, may God give us eyes to see our essential need for the continual daily intake of His Word!
† https://water.usgs.gov/edu/propertyyou.html
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