Water symbolises refreshment and healing; ‘waters’, on the other hand, can bring to mind not only flowing rivers, but devastating waves. In this Whirlow blog we look at three water-themed bible passages and wonder what they have to say to us as tumult rages in our world.

We are invited to respond…

The first of today’s recommended readings is from the Old Testament book of Ezekiel Chapter 47. You can find the whole passage here.

This water scene feels somewhat disorientating at first, with lots of detail about the water-source flowing from ‘below the threshold of the temple’: becoming ever deeper as it flows eastwards; its destination in the ‘sea of stagnant waters’; the freshness and new life it brings.

Spend a few moments with the passage if you wish. Don’t worry if you find it confusing. What are you feeling?

Can you picture this temple – hear water flowing out from beneath it? Perhaps the water sparkles as it flows between the tree-lined riverbanks? How might the fruit from the trees taste?

Those of us who live in a part of the world where fresh water is easily accessible can easily take it for granted, just as we can take for granted our many freedoms – including the freedom to practise our faith.

When we hear and read about the mess and horror taking place not only in Ukraine, but in many other places, such as East Africa, Syria, the Middle East, Burma and parts of China – the terrifying loss of life and devastation can make us thirst for justice and peace.

Here in the UK, many lives already affected by the pandemic will be further impacted by these global catastrophes, casting multitudes adrift in a modern-day ‘sea of stagnant waters’.

Where might you find God’s deep, flowing water bringing new life into your own daily encounters?

How might you share this refreshing water of life with others so that they might bear fruit?

If you wish, use this picture to help you reflect:

The second reading today is from Psalm 46. You can find the whole passage here.

Themes of water appear in verses 2-3:

Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change,
though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea;
though its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains tremble with its tumult.

And again, in verse 4:

There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy habitation of the Most High.

– Psalm 46: 1-8 (NRSV)

Take a moment to reflect on these words if you wish.

When might this shaking ‘in the heart of the sea’ represent times in your own life?

Where do the ‘waters roar and foam’ in the lives of those who you journey with today?

How might you find this ‘river whose streams make glad the city of God’ and draw others towards it?

The third reading today is from the Gospel according to Mark. You can find the whole of chapter 5 here. We focus on verses 1-9, paraphrased below:

Jesus goes to Jerusalem for a festival of the Jews, and comes to a pool where many invalids – blind, lame, and paralysed – are waiting to be healed.

Healings are anticipated when the water is intermittently ‘stirred up’ by the underground spring which supplies the pool.

Jesus sees a paralysed man who he knows has been waiting there for a long time and asks him:

‘Do you want to be made well?’

The sick man replies:

‘Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; and while I am making my way, someone else steps down ahead of me.’

Jesus says to him:

‘Stand up, take your mat and walk.’

At once, the man is made well. He takes up his mat and begins to walk.

Pause for a moment and ponder on this story.

Can you picture the scene – the pool and the five porticoes; the crowds of people waiting to be healed; Jesus talking with the man; the man picking up his mat and walking?

Unlike the previous two passages, the water here feels less significant to the story. The sick man’s healing comes from a different source – Jesus himself is the water of life who heals.

Just as the paralysed man looks into the loving face of Jesus and is healed, can you allow yourself to look up into this same loving face, this ‘water of life’ – in these times of global tumult?

Can you bring this tumult to Jesus, trusting that he walks with all of humanity through these ‘seas of stagnant waters’ and the shaking ‘heart of the sea?

If you have time, you may like to listen to this piece of ambient music from Salt of the Sound, inspired by the lyrics of Catharina von Schlegel:

"Be still, my soul: the waves and wind still know His voice

who ruled them while he dwelt below.”