One of the most fascinating elements in the natural is the phenomenon of water. Across the many eons of time, not a single age has passed where man has not been summonsed in a deep way by either the fathomless mystery or the unplumbed depths of water. And it shows in many ways, and throughout many seasons. For the young child, for instance, water is an entirely intriguing phenomena to its delighted sight and touch. As is the allure of it slipping silkily between their delighted and frustrated fingers. Likewise, to any adult, water remains a never-ending delight to all the senses. For throughout all the ages, how many a “pair of eyes and ears” have been thoroughly transfixed by the marvel and magnetism of the sight and the sound and the smell of the deep blue of the ocean? Or in the mesmerising comfort of the ocean’s companionship and intrigue, have felt all the cares of the world just slowly wash away? For there is not a moment in any given day that the deep spectacle of open water is not an intense fascination to the palate of man’s spirit and soul, be it a lake surface embossed with the streaky silver of the moon’s soft glow, or an ocean inked by the myriad brushstrokes of a sunrise, midday or sunset. As is the never-tiring appeal of its touch. In much the same manner that all of creation around us is instantly refreshed and restored by the welcome washing of an afternoon’s summer rain, similarly, a glass of cool water at the end of a summer’s day is likewise a welcome refreshment and restoration to the landscape of man’s thirsty soul and body. And after a long hard day in the dusty fields of life’s toil, nothing removes the dust and smell of the day on the outside or refreshes the entire being on the inside like soaking in the silence of either a candlelit bath or indulging in the solitude of a fragrant long shower.

And there is good reason for man’s captivation and connection with water. One of the deepest metaphors of water is its intense symbolism with the spiritual nature of mankind and with all of creation. Both man and all of creation have very deep roots with water and spirit. For just as man is formed in the water of the womb, the earth was birthed in the deep of water. “Now the earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.” Genesis 1:2. In this analogy, spirit and water are interchangeable. The spirit is synonymous with water. For just as the earth is made of land and water, we are all made of flesh and water, just as we are also body and spirit. And for both the land and man’s flesh, water is the very elixir of life. For without water, the flesh of man dies, just as without water, all that is flesh on earth (both on land and in sea) shall likewise perish. And in the same way, without the elixir of life that is the spirit, the body of man likewise perishes and is dead, as does all of creation. For it is “the spirit” that sustains the body, just as it is the Spirit that sustains all of life and creation. For when we die, it is written: “to be absent from the body is to be present before the Lord.” 2 Corinthians 5:8. Which tells us not only that when we die, we will come before the Lord, but that when we are present before the Lord, we are present “without” our body. So if we are present before the Lord, and not the body, what then is present before the Lord? It is our spirit. Which tells us that the essence of who we are is also not our body, but our spirit, for if it was the body that made us who we are, and that gave us life, then when we die, it would be the body that would be present before the Lord.

In much the same way that without water that all of life on earth simply returns to dust, and as such is formless and void, without the spirit, man is as formless and void as dust. In other words, without a spirit, or with the spirit of man hovering above the body, just as with the earth in Genesis 1:2, man is formless and void, where formless means without a spirit and void means lifeless. So clearly it is the spirit that gives form and life. And just as the body of man without the spirit goes from “dust to dust”, so too without the spirit that sustains all of creation, all of creation simply returns to dust. And since water is the elixir of life, so too then is the spirit, therefore, the elixir of life.

So the reason the ocean draws all of man, as deep unto deep, being the deep of the Spirit calling unto the depths of man, being the spirit of man, is because the ocean instinctively and metaphorically represents spirit and life. Our spirits yearn for the refreshing waters of the Spirit that gives us form and life. With that being said, one of the most intriguing aspects of water is that when you immerse yourself in it, you instantly become “weightless”. It’s as if both you and the cares of the world have been suddenly buoyed by a multitude of unseen hands, as if all the burdens and weight upon one’s shoulders have suddenly mysteriously vanished. In keeping with the metaphor, just as water buoys the weight of man, it is “the spirit” that buoys the burdens of man. It is when the sea of the spirit of man immerses itself in the ocean of the Spirit that man may renew his strength, and may mount up with wings like eagles, that man shall run and not grow weary, that man shall walk and not grow faint. It is also a fascinating pattern and correlation of deep calling unto deep, that when the sea of humanity seeks the solitude of rest and retreat, that invariably mankind returns to the idyll of the ocean and seaside. For very little recharges the heart and soul like long and rejuvenating days staring off into the far horizon of the great big blue. So what does that therefore tell us about what rejuvenates and recharges the spirit of man?

One of the hidden treasures to the mystery of the allure of water is that water liberates man from the constraints and confines of a two dimensional existence, and sets man free to traverse time, space and matter with the added liberty of being able to also move up and down at will. Which likewise speaks to man’s great obsession with flight. For many is the man who is forever seeking “a deeper and additional dimension of life”. And in the gift of water, man finds that extra dimension, that extra meaning, for in water we have the freedom to now move in every direction, both up and down, not just left and right, and backwards and forwards, and in water, we have been set free from our two dimensional captivity to abide and delight in the liberty of “an additional dimension of life”. For in water, we have life and life abundantly. Which is why the mystery and allure of water tells us all that our freedom lies outside the two dimensional constraints of “soul and body”, but lies in all that is the third dimension of “spirit”. Which is why water is the symbol of life. For the spirit is the water of life. For the Spirit IS life. And the flesh profits nothing. Which is why those who wait upon the Spirit of the LORD, like all those who stare into the rejuvenating blue of the wide open sea, shall all renew their strength, and shall run and not grow weary, and shall walk and not grow faint, and in the spirit they shall fly, for they shall mount up on wings like eagles. (Isaiah 40:31).

From the dawning of time, man has always been drawn to water. And all of our counterparts in nature demonstrate the exact same pattern. If anyone has ever been on a wilderness safari, one of the most beautiful spectacles of an African sunset are the congregations of droves of different wildlife assembled around “a shared watering hole”. For likewise, in the spiritual, we all share a common watering hole. Both beast and man. The Spirit. Which is why the Spirit of the LORD is referred to as “the water of life”, as well as “the breath of life” and “the bread of life”. Which are the three essential ingredients every man and beast depends upon in order to live. Air, water, bread. All life is sustained by the Spirit that first gave it life, namely “the breath of life”. And all three are only procured through the blood. Oxygen, water and food. Which is why it is the living God of three that is the only true God, and who is only made available to the spirit of man through the Blood for all those who like those who sojourn to the ocean for rest and renewal, turn to the deep waters of the Spirit for rest and to renew their strength.

With this in mind, water is mentioned an astonishing 722 times in the scriptures. That’s almost twice for every day of the year. Which is an exclamation point and emphasis on the fact that water is a fundamental fact of daily life. And it is an irrefutable ingredient in living. In fact, water is so integral that it “frames” the narrative of the Bible. As a frame, it is what defines and gives the life in that frame context and meaning. As a frame, water is mentioned both right at “the beginning” of scripture in Genesis 1:2, and also right at “the end”, in Revelation 22:17. Water is “central” to God's engagement with man, from our creation (birth), through to our blessings (rain), through to our salvation (baptism by water) and our equipping (baptism of the former rain of the Holy Spirit), through to our fullness and fruitfulness and maturity in Christ (with the outpouring of the latter rain), through to our resurrection into eternal life (He shall return upon the clouds). Water, itself, can be expressed in many different ways, each with its own unique symbolism. As a flood (judgment and cleansing). As rain (blessings). As a river of running water (indwelling of the Holy Spirit). As a river crossing (separation from the world). As river of life (spiritual rebirth and salvation). As a fulfilled destiny. “They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit." (Jeremiah 17:8).

This brings us to one of most apt depictions of water as the elixir of life: THE WELL. As in the natural, ALL treasures are hidden. Gold is hidden, oil is hidden, diamonds are hidden, wine is hidden within the skin of the succulent grape, meaning that to find treasure, we have to search for it and work for it. It takes an intentional and deliberate effort. In the same way that in the natural, a well is the means of digging for the buried life treasure of water, as a metaphor for seeking the “additional hidden dimensions of life and meaning”, a well points to the truth that even the treasures of the spiritual also have to be sought for beneath the superficial surface of life. And with this in mind, God tells those who would hear exactly the same thing. And for those who then hear and then take the effort to dig up the treasures of the spiritual meaning of life, God considers them to be as kings. "It is the glory of God to conceal a matter; to search out a matter is the glory of kings." (Proverbs 25:2).

As with the account of Jacob’s well and the Samaritan woman in John 4, besides never being thirsty again, one of the greatest spiritual treasures that the well of living water provides is the gold of “REVELATION”. Revelation is the great treasure of unlocking the 95% of the uncharted waters, being the way, and the truth, and the life, that is the will, and the knowledge, and the dominion of God. This is the true hidden treasure of life. Whilst the earth itself is a metaphor for man, speaking to the spiritual essence of man, it also speaks to having to seek for the treasures of life. For man is about 60-70% water, and just like man, so too is the earth, also 60-70% water, with the balance being land (flesh). Being 70% water and 30% flesh shows man that we are predominately spirit. We are a spirit with a body, not a body with a spirit. Having said that, almost every square inch of land has been explored by man. In the same way, man knows the appetites and desires of his flesh (soul and body). However, to this day, just like the oceans remain the most unchartered and unknown of the elements of the earth, so too is the kingdom of the spirit barely understood or known by the greater mankind. Less than 5% of the oceans have ever been explored. The same applies to the spiritual. In the same sense, the spiritual remains mankind’s biggest secret and least discovered treasure. "O you who dwell by many waters, Abundant in treasures." Jeremiah 51:13. ""By your wisdom and understanding, You have acquired riches for yourself, And have acquired gold and silver for your treasuries. By your great wisdom, by your trade, You have increased your riches, And your heart is lifted up because of your riches--" (Ezekiel 28:4-5).

In the same context, the Word is a well, for from its belly comes the wellspring of life. And from its hidden depths flows the very river of life. It refreshes and washes where no natural water can reach or touch. For it irrigates the dusty contours of man’s soul, and satiates the parched palate of his mind. It is the miracle water that satisfies a thirst that no other drink can satisfy. And in reaching where no other water can reach, and touching what no other water can touch, it likewise seeks out the buried treasure that, for the Father, is the silver and gold of the hearts and souls of man. For it is “a living water”, and as such, it not only brings life, but it lives and breathes to search out and reach behind the Jericho walls of man’s independent heart, and to surmount the Jericho walls of every argument and thought that exalts itself against the knowledge of God in man’s mind, for all the treasure that is hidden within those Jericho walls. For is it not written that behind the walls of Jericho that all the silver and gold are sacred to the LORD and must go into His treasury? “All the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron are sacred to the LORD and must go into his treasury." (Joshua 6:19). The well of the Word is the well through which we dig for all the buried treasure hidden beneath the superficial surface of life, and through which the living word searches for the treasure of the gold and silver of man’s heart and soul.

It was with this in mind that Paul prayed, "that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, that the eyes of your understanding being enlightened" (Ephesians 1:17), so that we may be those who have not only discovered the hidden treasure of knowing Him, but that we may be those who have also found the gold of relating rightly WITH Him (sons), and have acquired the silver of being rightly related TO Him (righteousness) - and as such, wear the prized treasure that is the wedding garments of the gold and silver of the brides of the Most High.

"My bride, you are a garden fountain, a well of flowing water streaming down from Lebanon." (Song of Solomon 4:15)

“And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.” (Isaiah 58:11)

"For I will pour water on him who is thirsty, and floods on the dry ground; I will pour My Spirit on your descendants, and My blessing on your offspring." (Isaiah 44:3)

"Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and let your soul delight itself in abundance." (Isaiah 55:1–2)

“Then he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb, in the middle of its street On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.” (Revelation 22:1-2).

Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be all the honour and all the glory for ever and ever. Amen. (1 Timothy 1:17).

#WarriorServants4God