Lord, Give Me a Drink

In my booth at the antique show, there is an old-looking antique crock that catches quite a bit of attention from shoppers. Lots of collectors use the old crocks for primitive decoration in the kitchen, and some of these crocks are still used as containers.  But this one, which is from the late 1800's is very different.  The bottom is constructed of a porous material and the keen observer will notice immediately this crock could never hold any liquid. The contents  would leak out. Closer observation of the crock tells a curious shopper it is made by the Fulper  Pottery  Company, and it is labeled "Water Filtering Crock."  It is designed to be placed on top of another container, and water filters from the upper crock and drains into the bottom. I  have tried it, and it takes about 45 minutes for the process and you have one gallon of filtered water.

I wondered about those having water filtering in the 1800's, especially since that was before medical science was warning people about micro-organisms and germs unseen by the naked eye. It took someone older than me to explain that in those days, water was usually collected from rainfall off the roof of a house, and ran through gutters to a downspout and into a barrel. And, in those days, the main job of a water filter was to remove things like grasshopper legs and bird feathers.  Do you care for a drink of water from my water filtering crock? Me either.

Pure, refreshing water satisfies our thirst.  There is actually a reason why our doctors tell us to drink more water. It's good for us. As good as pure water is for our bodies, I want to point you to the living water that Jesus talked about in John 4. He speaks to the Samaritan woman at the well and their conversation leads him to tell her about "living water," and those who drink of it will never thirst again. Jesus continues, "The water I give him will become in him a spring of water, welling up to eternal life." Okay, I concede. The water Jesus can give sounds more appealing than my crock-filtered water.

 If you are familiar with the story from John 4, then you know that Jesus is referring to himself as the living water which satisfies our spiritual thirst.  To "drink" of the water he offers implies a constant total commitment to him. It isn't a onetime exposure to the living water, but a continuing renewal of receiving the life giving spiritual nourishment we need. 

If you seek your own demise, one way to make that happen is to stop the intake of liquids. And if you are disconnected from the source of living water, Jesus himself, you will dry up spiritually, becoming like the description from Peter, "springs without water." 2 Peter 2:17

This picture of Jesus being the living water, brings so many Old Testament prophecies to have greater understanding.  When Isaiah addressed the subject of nations that attempted to overcome God's people, and addressed rebellious Jerusalem, and pointed all people toward following God and his precepts, he spoke of the salvation that would come to the faithful. He told of them learning that God is their salvation.  Then he says, "With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation." Isaiah 12:3

Our constant prayer should be, "Lord, give me a drink."

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