Yesterday I came in from mowing out in the heat and humidity and went to the kitchen sink and began pouring a mason jar full of cold clear refreshing water from our well. As I watched the life giving clear liquid fill my jar, I
couldn’t help but be thankful that God provides for us in such a rewarding manner; giving us life sustaining nourishment from the very ground upon which we tread. Too many, this may not even be a second thought, going to the kitchen sink and pouring yourself a glass of water, but out in the country when your life source comes from a well, you live by the old adage, “You don’t miss the water until the well runs dry.” As I stood there admiring the clear effervescent beauty before me, I thought how many people do the same thing with their faith?
In today’s world, amongst all the distractions, temptations and non-stop society, we often see people who pass by their local church to often without stopping. You hear the usual excuses, “Oh, I use to go all the time; I’ve done my time; They’re all hypocrites, so why should I become one too; I don’t need a church to be a Christian, and so on…” But slowly, our Christian base is dwindling, day-by-day. Like the aquifers that feed many of our nations water supplies, they are slowly drying up, one-by-one. Do they realize that if we don’t recognize this fact and act now, that what we now take for granted might someday be gone.
This doesn’t even begin to touch on the fact that we are in a daily battle with evil; evil that would gladly take away our right as an American to pursue our faith without persecution. You think the NRA and gun owning public was upset when there was talk of banning an assault rifle, can you imagine what the reaction might be if it were said that they would be closing the doors of hundreds of churches in our nation?
The answer is none, because that is exactly what is happening as we speak.
It may very well appear that our nation and media cares more about losing our gun rights than our right to freedom of religion. Slowly, one-by-one congregations are disappearing leaving behind empty sanctuaries that once held vibrant healthy church families; now gone, gone without a whimper; no outcry here! Are you thirsty yet? Did you notice the flow from your spigot beginning to slow to a trickle?
Amos 8:11-12 tells us ““Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord God, ‘That I will send a famine on the land, Not a famine of bread, Nor a thirst for water, But of hearing the words of the Lord. 12 They shall wander from sea to sea, And” from north to east; They shall run to and fro, seeking the word of the Lord, But shall not find it.”
Slowly, we are becoming a people as in the time of Amos, unable to hear the words of the Lord for our knowing makes us believe we don’t need Him. Our busy lifestyles are making it so there is no time for what is important. Mere Christianity is all we need not the pyro technique displays, not the mammoth churches nor the Hollywood sets and entertainers. We need back to basics faith, the kind you held in your hand and read aloud to your children. This is the thirst we must once more yearn for, for to drink from His well, you shall never thirst again.
As I stood there looking at my simple glass of water, my mind went back to the crystal clear springs in Florida where I once visited; snorkeling in their breathtaking cold clear waters. One spring in particular came to mind, Manatee 
Springs. There a dock juts out into the pool that is created by the spring, where the spring head is nearly forty feet down emitting nearly sixty million gallons of water per hour. Here, standing on this dock, I ran and dove into the water, allowing myself to become immersed in this pristine body of water, becoming one with the water world below; silently gliding along with the fish and plants all swaying in unison. In a way, my faith has become like this experience in the springs that day. I chose Christ in my life and from that day forward, I dive into my conviction, headlong, becoming one with the Holy Spirit until I’m buoyed by his Grace, the effervescent beauty of his love envelopes my soul and I am revived to once again, come up for air and exalt His name, Emmanuel!
Deep below the surface of Manatee Springs, a cave sits at the bottom of a cliff from which the millions of gallons are expelled, shooting out like a great water cannon creating the flow that turns into the Sawanee River just a few yards away. One can snorkel down the cliff face and then flip yourself into the million-gallon flow and literally take the ride of your life in the flow, being ejected out into the flow, quickly finding yourself yards downstream. When we seek God, really dive into the Word, we too can experience the same “ride of a lifetime”. To what depths of discovery you go is up to you.
Before you can begin to swim you first have to believe and accept Him into your heart. Like my glass of water that I turned up and drank down, cherishing the refreshing life-giving nourishment, you too can bring the Holy Spirit into your life; being revived and reborn. Once you do, the journey into that crystal clear spring of faith is up to you. God will take care of your abilities to swim, all you have to do is dive in and let the rest of the story be one that is already written in the Lamb’s book of Life.
Remember, “You don’t miss the water until the well runs dry.”
“You don’t miss your Jesus until the faith is gone…”
Drink up, and be reborn.
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A silence of beauty awaits me back on the surface. The bounty nestled safely in my dive pouch. Nearby a small tiger shark appears, approaching in a curious manner, then darts away. My hand reaches for the knife strapped to my thigh, more of a comfort than anything, the feeling of the cold hard steel is assuring. I try to relax again.
Below, the clouds obscure the lower reaches of the valleys. From my vantage point, I can see snow capped peaks, jagged, unapproachable and daunting. The air is pure and clean up here. There is no want of breath, no self-depleting pangs of oxygen other than those that consume the body at altitudes beyond your own physical abilities. I look around and my eyes cannot believe the grandeur of this place. My time here is limited, like that below the surface of the Gulf, yet something draws me; a destiny I cannot explain.
