Water Everywhere Yet Not A Drop To Drink

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled" Matthew 5:6

The Rime (Rhyme) of the Ancient Mariner was written by Samuel Taylor Coleridge and published in 1798. It tells the story of a mariner, who was doomed to sail aimlessly through stormy seas and adrift in hot endless oceans. They were endlessly drifting because the ancient mariner, on an impulse, shot and kill an albatross who was leading the ship out of the Antarctic ice sheets on which they were trapped. The ship's crew blamed him for their misfortune and placed the dead albatross around his neck. 

The Albatross Around His Neck

The Ancient Mariner struggled to find a meaning to his suffering and solutions to the long-term predicament but to no avail. At one point the ship ran out of water in a lifeless ocean which spawned the memorable line in this poem, "Water, water, everywhere, Nor any drop to drink."

Like the sailors in the tale, we find ourselves adrift searching for answers to questions during the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic. Why is it taking so long for the pandemic to pass? Will we be able to maintain our jobs and livelihoods? We try to find meaning to this suffering and grief that affected so many families. We are apt to lay blame on anyone and anything. Some may even blame God. 

Yet, this is exactly the right time to look to God. The Bible often spoke of times of famines, hunger and thirst during which people turned to God. During such times we look to God to be filled. In his struggles, the Ancient Mariner managed to pray, the albatross finally fell from his neck, his guilt was expiated and his suffering alleviated.  

"Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink" is a refrain of despair. There are other words about thirst and water, the words of Jesus to the Samaritan woman at the well. It is one of reassurance, "whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst again. Indeed the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life." 

This conversation, Jesus Met The Woman At The Well was made into song in the 1960s and sung by Peter, Paul and Mary. It began with a simple question by Jesus, "Will you give me a drink." Jesus was thirsty and He knew it; conversely the woman was thirsty but she did not know. He led her step by step, going over embarrassing facts about her life, until she  realised her greatest need. She met Jesus, He transformed her life. 

My elder daughter, Debbie said, "It is so amazing how Jesus always had the right words to say to people. He was able to tailor his conversation to inspire the educated as well as the despised. At the well, Jesus met a Samaritan woman and he offered her the water of life. How appropriate, to be meeting at a well and talking about water! It was the right thing to say at the time." 

We are all seeking for answers especially now than ever before. There will be an appropriate word for us today. Come to Jesus, Come to the Water.

You said You'd come and share all my sorrows,
You said You'd be there for all my tomorrows;
I came so close to sending You away,
But just like You promised You came there to stay;
I just had to pray!

And Jesus said, "Come to the water, stand by My side,
I know you are thirsty, you won't be denied;
I felt ev'ry teardrop when in darkness you cried,
And I'm here to remind you that for those tears I died."

Jesus, I give You my heart and my soul,
I know that without God I'd never be whole;
Savior, You opened all the right doors,
And I thank You and praise You from earth's humble shores;
Take me, I'm Yours.

Lionel

Lord, I Stretch My Hands to You

'I lift up my eyes to the hills— where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip— He who watches over you will not slumber.' Psalms 121:1-3

The “Creation of Adam” is a fresco painted by Michelangelo on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel of the Vatican. Anyone who views this cannot mistake the special relationship of Man and the Creator God. The face of Adam is one of an innocent person who looks toward God as if looking for instruction and and relationship, a look for love. God appears resolute but also shows a fatherly countenance.

Adam’s nakedness indicates a certain vulnerability and helplessness. He stretches his hand as if to turn for refuge and direction; very dependent on God. The hymn ‘Lord I Stretch My Hands to You’ by Jay Althouse with lyrics adapted from Charles Wesley, succinctly described the vulnerability-dependency realities of the man-creator relationship. 

Lord, I stretch my hands to You

No other help I know,

If You should leave me all alone,

Where then shall I go, O Lord.

Lord, I stretch my hands to You

Oh Lord. I give my soul to You

I seek Your care and love.

No other blessings do I need

but those from You above.

Lord I ask You:

Give me faith, and help me understand.

And Lord, when I this life shall leave

Just hold me in Your hand.

In God we will find abundance but unfortunately, many of us fail to recognise this. We want to assert our independence and in so doing, we lose sight of God. What a pity! We withdraw our hands and go our separate ways. In this zealousness to break free, we become blind to our spiritual inheritance and lose the wisdom of God’s counsel. 

God's hand, however, remains outstretched.

In my lifetime, I have never experienced such dark times affecting the whole world as in these days when the Corona virus ravage the world. The old and those with chronic illnesses are the most vulnerable and it is as if, we are walking through the valley of the shadow of death. This is not the time to turn away from God but to keep our hands outstretched towards God to find strength and comfort. 

'I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them.' Is 42:16 

Philip Yancey in his book, ‘Finding God in Unexpected Places’ recounted this story, “Theologian John S Dunne tells of a group of early Spanish sailors who reached the continent of South America after an arduous voyage. Their caravels sailed into the headwaters of the Amazon, an expanse of water so wide the sailors presumed it to be a continuation of the Atlantic Ocean. It never occurred to them to drink the water, since the sailors presumed it to be saline, and as a result many of them died of thirst. That scene of men dying of thirst even as their ships floated on the world’s largest source of fresh water has become for me a metaphor of our age. Some people starve to death spiritually while all around them manna rots.”

'The poor and needy search for water but there is none, their tongues are parched with thirst. But I the LORD will answer them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them. I will make rivers flow on barren heights, and springs within the valleys. I will turn the desert into pools of water, and the parched ground into springs.' Is 41: 17-18

John’s Gospel recorded a gentle conversation between Jesus and a Samaritan woman; a woman looking for meaningful love and relationship.  

'When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.) The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.) Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?” Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but 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." John 4:7-13, 

If only we all can recognize our lack of spirituality and wisdom! Then we would stretch our hands to God to establish a relationship that was meant to be from the dawn of time.  

'I lift up my eyes to the hills— where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip— He who watches over you will not slumber.' Psalms 121:1-3 


Lionel

A Light in the Attic




James at Lighthouse@Kiama

"You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven" Matthew 5:14-16


Malcolm Muggeridge, an English author and satirist, was once asked the question, "What do you most want to do with the rest of your life?" He replied, “I should like my light to shine, even if only very fitfully, like a match struck in a dark, cavernous night and then flickering out.”

When our children were young, they liked to read poems by Shel Silverstein. One of these poems caught my attention

"There’s a light on in the attic

Though the house is dark and shuttered,

I can see a flickerin’ flutter,

And I know what it’s about.

There’s a light on in the attic.

I can see it from the outside,

And I know you’re on the inside . . . lookin’ out."

Uncannily, Muggeridge’s comment on the twilight years of life could well have been a commentary of a poem meant for children. A light no matter how dim or flickering attracts attention. Jesus told us to let our light shine before others

As we grow older we can become increasingly isolated and shut in, like living in dark and shuttered houses. In this final lap, many people hope to have the same aspiration as Muggeridge. If our lives in the past were not very good examples, we hope that however flickering and for whatever time remaining, the light we now have, would shine forth.

Light may be vision. Light may be virtue. Light may be wisdom. Light may be comprehension and light may be truth. Light may be a beacon.

Light must be seen. Why? Because the light we have is the light of Jesus. That light has a force-multiplier effect. It can reach out beyond our wildest expectations. Ephesians 5:8-10, "For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases God".

There is a hymn, "Brightly Beams our Father's Mercy" which tells of the lights in each of us, as witnesses for Jesus, attracting others to Him. Our lamps no matter how feeble, may be instrumental in rescuing some soul, pull him out of the miry clay of his pathetic existence and put him on paths to salvation.

 
At this time we all are in the dark tunnel of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many cities in the world, including Singapore, are in shutdown mode and people are told to stay home and keep a social distance from each other. However, there is a light at the end of the tunnel, a light in the attic and beaming light from the lighthouse, the light of Jesus. 

That light will bring us through such difficult times. In the dark days of Apartheid, the Black South Africans had a hymn, 'Siyahamba' or 'We are Marching in the Light of God'. It galvanised them and brought them through the difficult times of protests and violence. The question is are we standing in the light of God? Will we treasure the light of Jesus placed in us? This 'Little Light of Mine' are we gonna let it shine?

St Francis of Assisi, kneeling at a crucifix towards the end stages of his life, prayed, “All highest, glorious God, cast your light into the darkness of my heart. Give me right faith, firm hope, perfect charity and profound humility, with wisdom and perception, O Lord, so that I may do what is truly your holy will. Amen”

Lionel

PS Be inspired click on the song titles for the You-tube videos of the songs

Desolation

“I have destroyed nations;

their strongholds are demolished.

I have left their streets deserted,

with no one passing through.

Their cities are laid waste;

they are deserted and empty.” Zephaniah 3:6

Emeritus Bishop Robert Solomon, concerned with daily images of deserted cities and empty streets during this Covid-19 pandemic around the world, reminds us of the prophecy of Zephaniah. Zephaniah's  prophecy had been realised many times in the past. Today it seems that it is being fulfilled before our very eyes. He suggests that as much as we regret the devastation caused, we should try to discover what is God's purpose in allowing this to happen. 

The words of the prophet are very harsh, speaking of the judgement of God. What are God's purposes? 

• Is this retribution for mankind's lack of conservation efforts of nature?
• Have we been voraciously exhausting Earth's resources?
• Have we been selfish, self-centred, materialistic, uncaring?
• Have we been hedonistic, always self-indulgent?

The  answer could be all of the above and more; there are many reasons why God has allowed a very small microbe to devastate the human race

Bishop Solomon and Zephaniah suggest a purpose; to turn us toward Him with meekness and humility so that we can trust Him (Zephaniah 3:12)

US Vice-President, Mike Pence understood this need for repentance and prayer. He closes all his briefings with 'heal our land'. Devastation require healing; beginning with healing of self followed by healing of communities, healing of countries and finally the healing of the world. However this requires God's people to humble ourselves, to pray and to repent. If we cannot do much to combat the virus, we can pray and return to God.

Then salvation is assured and promised in Zeph 3:17, 

“The Lord your God is in your midst,

    a mighty one who will save;

he will rejoice over you with gladness;

    he will quiet you by his love;

he will exult over you with loud singing”

The Bishop said, "Here is a wonderful picture of God’s love. Like a mother who sings a lullaby over her troubled child, the Lord comforts us when we are afraid or disturbed. In this metaphor, God is not only singing a lullaby but sings loudly over His children. There is a combination of motherly tenderness as well as fatherly exuberance."

We need not fear the Corona virus, the earth will be healed. God's promise concludes Zephaniah Chapter 3 with

"At that time I will gather you;

at that time I will bring you home.

I will give you honour and praise among all the peoples of the earth

when I restore your fortunes before your very eyes.

How fortunate for us! It is very comforting when God tells us that he will bring us home. This song by David Haas gives the same assurance as Zephaniah did so many centuries ago. It is call "You are Mine". At such times, listen to this song and allow the lyrics and melody to echo in the recesses of your mind.

I will come to you in the silence

I will lift you from all your fear

You will hear My voice, I claim you as My choice

Be still, and know I am near

I am hope for all who are hopeless

I am eyes for all who long to see

In the shadows of the night, I will be your light

Come and rest in Me

I am strength for all the despairing

Healing for the ones who dwell in shame

All the blind will see, the lame will all run free

And all will know My name

I am the Word that leads all to freedom

I am the peace the world cannot give

I will call your name, embracing all your pain

Stand up, now, walk, and live

Do not be afraid, I am with you

I have called you each by name

Come and follow Me

I will bring you home

I love you and you are mine

Lionel