Traveling this morning under a sky so blue it’s almost purple. The road stretches out in front of me, heat shimmering up. Another hot day in the south and I love it. Didn’t rain at my house yesterday, first time in a while, and the temperature was cooler. Enjoyed my porch perching yesterday and bird watching. Rain is such an essential resource for life on earth. I shouldn’t complain about the sky bursting into silver tears every day. Leonardo da Vinci said, “Water is the driving force of all nature.”

Water is a part of our spiritual lives, a symbol of life and renewal. Jesus speaks of “living water” representing the Holy Spirit. My Bible story memories from Sunday school lessons where water is woven through the stories include Noah’s Ark, Jonah and the whale, Jesus walking on water, the woman at the well, Jesus washing the disciples feet, and Jesus turning water into wine. We read these stories in the scriptures, learning that water imagery signifies God’s power and the transformation of a strong faith.

Rainfall can be a sign of God’s goodness or a sign of God’s displeasure. The story of Noah’s ark shows the anger of God and highlights the faithfulness of Noah. God brought the rain for forty days and forty nights as a flood to cleanse the earth of wickedness. Noah followed God’s instructions building the ark and saved his family along with two of each animal species. God’s judgement was harsh. The flood claimed all of earth’s inhabitants. When the water receded and the dove brought back an olive branch, Noah saw the glorious “bow” God stretched across the heavens, God’s promise of never flooding the earth again. The Lord gave Noah and his family mercy and the promise of a new life.

Jesus turned water, a simple basic necessity, into wine. It was his first miracle and symbolized a spiritual renewal. Jesus wasn’t trying to impress the wedding guests with his divine power. He was trying to bring others to his faith. The water symbolizes our transformation of faith and the wisdom of Jesus.

I love the story of Jesus walking on water. The disciples thinking a ghost was approaching their boat in the windy storm waters were terrified but Jesus said, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” Jesus calmed the stormy sea waters and Paul walked out on the water to meet him. When the wind picked up Paul lost his faith and began to sink, calling out to Jesus to save him. Jesus reached out and grabbed his hand and when they climbed back in the boat the wind died down. Jesus had walked on the stormy sea and calmed the waters. Jesus was showing the disciples his spiritual power with a lesson on how they could depend on their faith to save themselves in time of trials.

The Bible uses water as a symbol of life. Jesus says to the Samaritan woman at the well, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life,” John 4:13-14.

When fear and doubt bring rain and storms into our lives, we need to have faith in God’s divine power. “When you go through deep waters, I will be with you,” Isaiah, 43:2. Our faith in God will always keep us afloat and Jesus will always rescue us.

“If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water.” — Loren Eiseley