Describing 'WATER' to a Martian

16/06/2013 16:47
Twice a week I fill our little bathtub with warm water and mix in 2 cups of Epsom salts. I then put on a pair of old goggles (to protect my eyes), and sink into the soothing calm water. I enjoy a peaceful half hour in there praying for family and friends. The reason?  It’s great treatment for Fibromyalgia. I’m refreshed and pain free afterwards, like a wilted bird during a long hot summer, swirling in a puddle; revived, refreshed; restored.
 
Water and I are good friends. The other day, as I lay in the tub, I fingered the water and delighted in its silkiness. I wondered what it would be like to describe water to someone who had no experience of liquids. Like a Martian for instance?
 
Perhaps I’d say something like this? “It flows. It takes the shape of the container it’s in. It can be poured. It’s something you can immerse yourself in. (Question: What would ‘pouring’ mean to someone who has never seen a liquid?) Do you think any of those descriptions would make sense? I doubt it!
Explaining what a liquid is to someone who hadn’t seen or experienced it is probably like trying to describe my experience of God to someone who didn’t know anything about Him. It may sound as if I had a blind faith. He or she might say there’s insufficient evidence to believe a God exists. That it’s unthinkable these days of high scientific advances and superior knowledge to believe decisively in a God we can’t see, hear or touch.
 
How do I explain God and my faith in Him to one who has not known Him?
 
First – What it DOES NOT mean:
My faith in a holy, just, loving God doesn’t mean that:
  1. I never have doubts. (I certainly do. Many.)
  2. I haven’t grappled with God’s existence and reality. (I have. Oh yes, I have!)
  3. I don’t have questions. (Try me.)
  4. I haven’t been through adverse circumstances. (Oh yes, I have. Plenty.)
  5. My faith was built overnight. ( It’s been a long journey. An amazing journey.)
  6. I don’t have my struggles. (Of course I do.)
  7. My life is perfect. (Oh no. Far from it.)
 
Second – What it DOES mean. I’ve had….
  1. The comforting knowledge of a God who is present, through His Word (the Bible).
  2. Answered prayer – hundreds and thousands of them over the years. (Yes!)
  3. The awesome assurance of His love for me. (Thank you God.)
  4. Forgiveness of all my sins; and also power & strength to overcome sin.
  5. Joy and peace deep within, even when darkness falls and the storm rages.
  6. A Family of believers who encourage me – who know and follow the same God.
  7. Purpose, Direction, Guidance; innumerable Spiritual Blessings.
Life cannot exist without water. I believe that life cannot exist without God – the Creator of all life. Water quenches our thirst. God’s grace quenches our spiritual thirst. Water renews and restores. God is the Master Renewer and Restorer. Water is Unique. God has no equal. And did you know…. the Bible tells us that one glad day the earth will be filled with the glory of God as the waters cover the sea. Yes, God and Water have interesting similarities. Jesus promises us living water which will quench our thirst for all eternity. 

 

I’ve had my share of doubts over the years – and more doubts since I became a Christian than before. I still do. But I am not afraid of doubts any more. You see, honest doubts push me towards God and not away from Him. And the God I worship is far bigger than any questions or doubts that spring to mind. I have known Him. I have discovered His reality not once but many times over. His love refreshes me each new day like an amazing view from a mountain top – beautiful, heart warming, far reaching, glorious.
 
When I look at the world around me, I see chaos, hard times, friends facing difficult seasons; or suffering incurable diseases. Good people suffer. I find a world gone crazy. I am deeply perplexed. But then… I look within. And remember. I remember all I’ve experienced of life. A God who loved me in spite of myself. A God whose character of love, holiness and justice is irrefutable. A God who always came through for me.

 

There are times I have sought God like one who’s drowning; spluttering, gasping; coming up desperately for air. Did He hear me? Yes. He turned up. Sure. Steadfast. Loving me in a way I’d never been loved before. He held me. He didn’t let me go. I was able to withstand the tough times without falling apart. Not because I was strong. But because He was. The truth is that I’ve never had all the answers. But what I do have is a faithful God. A God who’s been there for me like no other, every moment of every day. He has blessed me with life in all its fullness. He has filled my life with joy.
There is much that I still do not know. But….. this one thing I do know.

I know that my Redeemer lives.

And that is enough for me.

 

 

 

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