Last week, we thought about challenging obstacles (as in the Spartan Race – 07/20/17.) In addition to the obstacles of the race, the heat and humidity brought on additional hardship.

My daughter-in-law, Mandy, said that once they were a couple of miles into the race, she felt extreme exhaustion from being dehydrated due to the heat. She began feeling numb and in a fog, desperate for water.

Soon they had to crawl through mud and then swim under a plank through muddy water. Muddy or not, she said it was the most refreshing thing ever, just to feel the water. It revived her enough to move on.

Her statement made me think about water—refreshing, life-giving water. We can go several days without food, but only minimal time without water. Even, as for Mandy, water to the skin provides some needed hydration .

That led me to think about God creating the universe from the beginning:

Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the water. Genesis 1:2

All was water to begin with. Ever thought about that? We’re born in a water sac. We’re made up of about 60% water. We perspire water, cry water, and well, expel water, too. 

Water is below us in the oceans and above us in the clouds. Evaporation and condensation provide a continual life cycle. You can freeze it, steam it, or drink it. A Coke or fruit drink is tasty, but water best quenches our thirst. We use it to clean our bodies, our dishes, our clothes, and our foods, but most importantly, it sustains our lives.

I’m not after a science lesson here; I just think it’s interesting to think about this simple, yet important gift God has given us—water. 

I’m reminded of Psalm 42 from which we have one of my favorite choruses:

As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. Psalm 42:1-2

Oh, that we would have that great desire for the Lord; that we would not just feel empty without Him, but that we would pant for Him, not be able to stand it without Him. I will be reminded of that the next time I am so dry that I long to pull out that water bottle.

Well, after my tirade about water, I must give you the end of the Spartan Race story. Mandy, my son Jason, and the two grandsons did make it to the end of the race. In spite of the obstacles and heat, they jumped over the trail of fire to declare themselves Spartans!

~ Joyce ~