“Whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” – Jesus (John 4:14 NIV)
Imagine living in an ancient land where rainfall was scarce—only about 20 to 25 inches per year. Yet this land was full of life: people raised sheep, goats, and camels; they grew wheat, barley, grapes, figs, olives, dates, lentils, and spices. All these people, animals, and crops needed water to survive and thrive.
In the time of King David, Ancient Israel may have had around 800,000 people and 400,000 animals. Even though most crops relied on rainfall instead of irrigation, the nation likely used about 3 billion gallons of water per year. In contrast, the U.S. in 2015 used about 322 billion gallons of water each day. That’s an incredible amount of water.
Today, most Americans get water from rivers, lakes, and reservoirs. But about 30% rely on wells that draw from underground aquifers—vast natural reserves holding an estimated 2,500 to 3,000 trillion gallons beneath the U.S. That’s a lot of water.
Over a lifetime, a person drinks about 17,000 gallons of water. But when you include water used for bathing, washing, cooking, and producing food and goods, the total jumps to about 2.3 million gallons per person. Add in virtual water(used indirectly through agriculture, clothing, and energy), and that’s another 500,000 to 1.3 million gallons per year. Water truly touches every part of life.
Why does this matter? Because water is essential to life.
We are about 60% water. Every cell, tissue, and organ in our bodies depends on it. Without water, we can’t survive.
But just as our physical bodies need water, our souls need Living Water—the Spirit of God. Jesus offers this in himself. If we go too long without soaking in God’s presence, truth, and love, our spirits dry up. We become unable to produce the fruit of the Spirit that we were created to bear.
The good news? When we feel spiritually dry, all we need to do is ask.
“I will pour out water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground. I will pour out my Spirit…” (Isaiah 44:3 NIV)
So today, as you drink a glass of water, pause. Thank God for meeting your physical needs—and ask him to refresh your soul with his Living Water.
Living Water, Breath of Life,
Thank you for all the ways in which you provide for us, physically and spiritually. Thank you for the simple molecule of two hydrogen atoms and an oxygen atom that forms the basis for so much of our life. Thank you for the gift of the Holy Spirit within us that is the spiritual water we need. You are our God who we earnestly seek. Pour out your Spirit upon thirsty lives and upon all your children. We ask for the blessings of your spiritual water, in Jesus’s name, AMEN.
You, God, are my God,
earnestly I seek you;
I thirst for you,
my whole being longs for you,
in a dry and parched land
where there is no water. (Psalm 63:1 NIV)
For I will pour water on the thirsty land,
and streams on the dry ground;
I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring,
and my blessing on your descendants. (Isaiah 44:3 NIV)