Thankful for water..........

This is my backyard this week.  The little creek behind our house is way beyond flooded.  As are all of the rivers and creeks around here.  And it poured rain this morning......again.  All of the ground is saturated, squishy, and waterlogged.  But, hey, look at how green the grass is!  Which brings me to what has been on my mind all day........water.

Early this morning I saw a post on Facebook from "Humans of New York".  I love this particular page.  They post interesting stories of random people that they meet on the streets of New York.  Here is the post from today.....

“I’m single, unemployed, and late middle-aged. But I don’t really get sad. I just don’t think sadness is in my brain chemistry. When I go home to my apartment, I’ve got a faucet that releases both hot and cold water. You know how many billions of people don’t even have clean drinking water? And I’ve got two types of clean water: hot and cold.”

I just could not get this off of my mind, all day today.  How powerful and thought provoking.  We are so blessed!  We have a solid roof over our heads, we have protection from the elements.  We have safe HOT and COLD water.  We have lights and power for appliances, we have computers and televisions and cellphones.  And so, so much more.  Isn't it amazing that it takes a single paragraph post on Facebook to cause me to stop short and really think about just how blessed I am?   So even though we have had a bit too much rain, and we have a bit of flooding, we are still so blessed.

I was remembering last January.  I was at a conference and Heidi Baker was speaking.  She is a missionary in Mozambique Africa.  Just before the conference there had been disastrous flooding in Mozambique.  I mean really devastating.  Their entire base had been wiped out.

Even before the floods, they didn't have much.  But just like this man in New York, Heidi Baker was just so grateful for what they did have.  And how very blessed they are...because they have Jesus.  

I have not been very much like that man in New York or Heidi Baker.  As a matter of fact, I would have to say honestly that I have not been very thankful for these little things (which are really BIG things).  After reading that post this morning, every time I went to the sink, I thought about that clean water pouring out.  And I remembered all of the people around the world, who don't have a sink or clean water anywhere.  Those that have to walk miles and miles for dirty and contaminated water.  Or those that simply don't have any water.  Would you join me tonight in praying for all of those people?  And would you also pray that those of us with access to clean water, would not take it for granted.  Most of all, would you join me in prayer for them to know Jesus, the living water!   I can't help but think of  John 4:13-14....

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".

Jesus, thank you for this reminder today of all of the great blessings you have poured out on us. Holy Spirit, help us to see all that you have provided for us.  What a gift water is to us.  Thank you for missionaries who give their life to bring the Good News to other nations.  Jesus, you are the Living Water!  Amen