Who is God?

The Bible, which offers us God's self-disclosure, gives us many answers to the question, "Who is God?" Several of the answers provide vivid, concrete images. I propose to identify and reflect on some of these images in this space in the current and future issues of the Pulse.

The first image which catches my eye is from Jeremiah 17: 13. God is here revealed as "the fountain of living waters".

When I first went to school, one of the most exciting objects was the water fountain. It was located in the hallway outside the classroom. Cold, clear water was always available. It was refreshing. Bottled water was unheard of in those days. Returning to class after vigorous, outdoor exercise at recess, we were eager to stop at the water fountain for a drink.

God is the One who satisfies our spiritual thirst. We long to be refreshed. We want to be invigorated - filled with strength, and energy, and purpose - to live. The prophet Jeremiah is commissioned to tell us - and show us - God as the fountain of living waters.

The NIV translation puts it this way: "the Lord, the spring of living water". The picture of a spring, with its origin hidden deep in the ground, but bringing forth a stream of cold, crystal-clear water, supporting life, is a beautiful one. We associate such springs with the beauty of an unspotted, unspoiled creation. A mountain spring often feeds a natural lake or river. Such waters support life, for many kinds of creatures, and sustain and refresh us.

God invites us to know Him as the fountain of life. Jesus, who took on human flesh to show us God living among us, told the Samaritan woman at the well that "whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst". He went on to explain that whoever welcomes and receives Jesus will receive "a spring of water welling up to eternal life" (John 4: 14, NIV). In His great proclamation at the Feast of Tabernacles, Jesus went on to say of the one who believes in Him that "streams of living water will flow from within him" (John 7: 38, NIV).

The great Puritan preacher and writer John Flavel sent forth a series of teachings in which he aimed to present "a display of Christ in his essential and mediatorial glory". He called his work, "The fountain of life".

Physical life cannot be sustained without water. Spiritual life cannot be sustained without God. "Blessed are those who ... thirst for righteousness", said Jesus, "for they will be filled" (Matthew 7: 6).

Let us give thanks to God as the fountain of living waters; let us drink deeply of Jesus Christ, the fountain of life; and let us experience streams of living waters flowing from within us. Such will sustain us, and overflow to supply others.

Glad beyond measure that Jesus Christ is living water that cannot be bottled,

Your pastor,
James T. Hurd