"Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat upon them, nor any scorching heat.For the Lamb at the centre of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes." Revelation 7:16-17 (NIV)
Dear Friends,
As I write many people in Thailand, Laos and Burma are celebrating their New Year, Songkran. This time of celebration is now famous for being the largest water fight in the world. For three days people walk the streets with water pistols and buckets of ice-water, or stand in groups at the side of the road with large water containers or hose pipes and soak each other and those passing by on foot, motorbike or vehicle. The origin of this holiday is much more sedate. For the Buddhist, Songkran is a time for cleansing and renewal, the name itself means "a move or change". There are many rituals that take place during this time, including the washing of Buddha images and the thorough cleaning of homes. The water fight stems from the tradition of pouring a small amount of water over the head or shoulder of someone to show respect and bless them.
I experienced the fullness of this celebration yesterday as I rode in the back of a pick-up truck with some friends through Mae Sot town. The sun was beating down 98 degrees of heat as we covered ourselves with sun-block and filled our buckets and super-soakers. I soon cooled off when the first group of smiling, laughing Thai's greeted me with "Welcome to Thailand" before drenching me with freezing cold water. The "ferang" or "foreigner" is a much sought after target for the locals during Songkran - so a truckload of us bought delight to many!
Then, when I got home and dried off, I starting thinking about water.
Water is vital. We all need it to live. It is a basic human need. So much of the world is surrounded by it, yet so many people around the world die because they do not have access to enough of it.
It is a source of power - it can produce electricity, but is also a cause of great destruction - remember the images from the 2004 Tsunami? Heavy rains in an area of drought can bring great rejoicing, but the same in areas of farmland can ruin crops and livelihoods.
For the internally displaced in Burma, the rains bring much needed, clean drinking, cooking and washing water - but they also are the cause of sickness and accidents. They can also leave villagers more vulnerable to attacks from the Burma army.
Even with all the negative points, I came to the conclusion that without water, especially clean water, no-one can survive. And if we need "physical" water to sustain us physically, how much more do we need "spiritual" water to sustain us spiritually.
Revelation 21:5-7 (NIV)
He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true." He said to me: "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son.John 7:37-39 (NIV)
On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, asthe Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.Hebrews 10:21-23 (NIV)
"And since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful."
So as Songkran draws to an end here in Thailand I will continue to dwell on God's word about how important it is to trust in the source of the Water of Life. And I ask that you will stand with me to pray that those in Burma and Thailand who do not yet know Him, may soon come to a knowledge of Him and be satisfied.
Blessings
Sarah
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