Reflect & Learn
"You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail."
—Isaiah 58:11
The image of flowing water appears many times throughout scripture. It is used to describe the lives of those faithful to God and to describe the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. The prophet Isaiah says to God’s people, “All you who are thirsty, come drink from the water!” (Isaiah 55:1)
Historically, communities have flourished or perished based on their access to water. As humans, we cannot survive longer than three days without water. This is why Jesus and the prophets frequently evoked the image of water in their teachings -- they wanted everyone listening to understand how essential it is to be connected to God. Water remains an important resource that we rely on every day, but many communities around the world and even within our state struggle to obtain clean water.
Today you are invited to learn more about how and where water flows in your community. A watershed is an area of land that drains all the streams and rainfall to a common outlet such as the outflow of a reservoir or mouth of a bay. They provide drinking water, habitats for wildlife, soil to grow our food, and locations for fishing, boating and swimming. Everyone lives in a watershed, and watersheds are interconnected and can flow through one another. Protecting water in one place benefits the entire system.
Check out this video to learn more about the importance of watersheds and how we can better protect them (4 min):
Pray
A prayer from the 21-day Environmental Justice Challenge
Today, let us lift our voices in prayer for all persons who are on the margins, especially those who do not have access to safe water sources:
We pray for the 663 million people who lack access to safe water.
Plant our hearts near streams of compassion.
We pray for the women and children who spend hours each day walking to collect water.
Plant our hearts near streams of compassion.
We pray for the 800,000 deaths per year attributable to unsafe water supply, poor sanitation and hygiene.
Plant our hearts near streams of compassion.
We pray for a reduction in the 38 billion plastic water bottles that end up in landfills every year.
Plant our hearts near streams of compassion.
We pray for greater accountability and transparency when public water systems are threatened.
Plant our hearts near streams of compassion.
Good and gracious God, we pray for humility to see all the ways we take water for granted. Send Your Spirit to change the hearts of those who use water to create strife and conflict. Have mercy on those who are sick or in need because they cannot access safe water. We are thankful for Your gift of water seen in the beauty of waterfalls, placid lakes, rivers that move people and commerce, oceans full of amazing creatures. Give us guidance on how to be better stewards of a finite resource. We ask all of this in Your name. Amen.
Act
Check out some of these resources to learn how you can conserve water in your home:
Additional Resources
If you want to learn more about water scarcity, check out this brief documentary on the World's Water Crisis:
This National Geographic article explains how water scarcity is impacting our country:
