"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