“Water, water, everywhere, and all the boards did shrink; Water, water, everywhere, nor any drop to drink.” So states the 29th stanza of the The Rime [Rhyme] of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. The somewhat confusing poem is too long for me to remember, but those lines stick with me.
One of Bob Nolan’s songs sung by the Sons of the Pioneers is Cool Water. The first stanza is: “All day I face the barren waste without the taste of water; Cool water. Old Dan and I with throats burned dry and souls that cry for water, Cool water.” By the way, Old Dan is the mule or horse.
There’s much water in the poem and no water in the song – but in both situations, drinkable water is not available. Mankind has fought for thousands of years over water rights, but what’s the reason for this obsession?
Simply this: Humans can live for four or five weeks without food; but barely a week without water.
However, earth is a watery world. Earth is the only planet in our solar system that is naturally and readily habitable for mankind. Water is found almost everywhere either on or under the surface of the earth: from the polar ice caps to boiling geysers.
The oceans are an integral part of our lives because their influence dominates the world’s weather systems. About 96% of earth’s water covers approximately 71% of the earth’s surface. I read that under current atmospheric conditions, the atmosphere can hold approximately 37 million, billion gallons of water – enough to cover the entire surface of the world, including oceans, with one inch of water.
But if the solid earth were a smooth, round ball, one estimate is that the existing surface water – from oceans, lakes, and rivers – would be about 1.5 miles deep.
A water molecule is made of 2 hydrogen atoms and 1 oxygen atom – H2O – and water aids in sustaining a breathable atmosphere and a viable temperature. It is water that keeps vegetation, animals, and people alive.
Solar radiation heats the atmosphere, land, and oceans. As the warm air rises, water vapor rises with it. As the moisture enters the upper atmosphere, it cools, forms clouds, and spreads the live-sustaining liquid across the world as rain, hail, and snow.
Water is the world’s greatest solvent – humorously, but correctly, called dihydrogen monoxide (H2O). It is called the universal solvent because it dissolves more minerals and compounds than any other chemical known. Scientists have proven this by extracting gold, silver, lead, copper, and a host of other elements from sea water. Water from rain and snow dissolves those minerals from mountains and prairies and deposits them into lakes and oceans.
As corn, beans, wheat, potatoes, and all the other crops grow, their root systems absorb these minerals, and they become part of us as we eat the food. It takes water a long time to break down organic material; therefore, the body creates HCL (hydrochloric acid) to break down or digest food, and the watery blood system distributes food, vitamins, and minerals to every cell of the body.
Water is a major component of the human body. Bodies of newborn babies average 78% water but the adult body averages about 60%. The average water content in adult blood is 80%, and lungs are about 90% water.
Water has enabled mankind to build or advance civilization in many ways. Rivers, lakes, and oceans have been major highways of the world for thousands of years. Dams have been built across major rivers around the world, and the rushing water turns huge hydroelectric turbines to produce electrical power for untold millions of homes and factories. The oceans provide food for people and help to regulate climate by redistributing heat around the world.
Water is critical for life; and without water, live cannot exist.
But there is another kind of water that is critical for humanity. As H2O is mandatory for human life, Jesus has provided “living water” that is mandatory for Eternal Life. Jesus said in John 4:14, “Those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again.”
How? That means He will sustain or help us throughout life. We “drink” of this living water by learning to know Jesus, purposely obeying Him, and living to please Him. This water includes wisdom that we need as we interact with others; and this water is necessary in every other aspect of human life.
Without this living water, we cannot enter the kingdom of God. Have you partaken of God’s living-water? Quench your spiritual thirst. Start by reading the Gospel of John. Follow it up by reading the book of Romans.
Gene Linzey 