Clean Water
The subject of water has certainly been in the news lately. What has happened in Flint, Michigan, is quite tragic. In order to save money the lives of thousands of children were put at risk by the state government. While all this gets played out in the news Congress has been attempting to weaken clean water standards that currently are in place. I find all of this very disturbing. The availability of clean water is a necessity and must be insisted upon.
A few nights ago I was reading Psalm 104 and came across a series of verses where the Psalmist talks about God providing water not for humans but for the rest of Creation. Take notice of what is said here: “He makes springs pour water into the ravines; it flows between the mountains. They give water to all the beasts of the field; the wild donkeys quench their thirst. The birds of the air nest by the waters; they sing among the branches. He waters the mountains from his upper chambers; the earth is satisfied by the fruit of his work… The trees of the Lord are well watered, the cedars of Lebanon he planted.” (vs. 10-13, 16)
Apparently the provision of water is something that God takes very seriously. The Creator has made sure that all creatures, human and nonhuman alike, have the water they need. In the Old Testament one of the names of God is Jehovah Jireh which means “the Lord will provide.” From the beginning God has sought to provide for and meet the needs of His Creation. God has gone to great lengths to provide water for “the beasts of the field, the wild donkeys, the birds of the air, the mountains and the trees.” This is a wonderful reminder that God’s love and compassion extends to all of Creation, not just us.
If God was concerned enough to provide water for all the things the Psalmist mentions, and for us too, we can surely conclude that making clean water available to others ought to be a concern of those who are children of God. We should be concerned that so many of our oceans, rivers and lakes are dangerously polluted. We should be horrified that something like what happened in Flint ever occurred. If we are going to take seriously our call to be good stewards of the earth then we must do what we can to protect our water resources and support legislation that ensures clean water be provided to all.
According to the Psalmist God cares about things like this. Hopefully we will too.
–Chuck
(I took the top image at Grand Tetons National Park, the middle one in the Ozarks of Missouri, and the bottom on in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.)