One of my favorite inspiring movies is V For Vendetta. There is one character in the movie named Evey that is arrested and they shave her head and when she is released she is standing in the rain looking upward and she says something that stuck with me “God is in the rain.” It is so true. God is everywhere. He is in the rain. He is in the water. He is in the fire. He is omnipresent. He is in everything. True spirituality is seeing God in everything. In my last article, I wrote about fire and used it as a metaphor for the trouble we go through in life but I also brought out the point that even in trouble God is still with us. This article is a continuation of a series about seeing God in nature. In this series, I am particularly focusing on Fire, Water, Earth and Air to illustrate my point.
Everything on this planet needs water to survive. We live on a planet that is 3/4 water. Our human bodies are made up of 70% water. You can survive 30 days or more without food, depending on your health and size but we can only survive four days without water. I think you will agree that water is very important and essential for our survival.
Without a doubt, my two favorite sounds are the sound of a babbling brook and the sound of wind blowing through the trees. Every stream, river and brook has its own unique sound and song. I have many fond memories of walking through the creek with my children. Backwater and tributaries branching off the main creek always revealed more exciting things. Wildlife abounds on a nice creek walk. Fish spawning. Turtles. Raccoons eat the precious eggs of birds and turtles. Otters floating on their backs cracking open a mollusk with a rock and eating the meat inside. Cranes, birds and egrets fishing. Fish jumping out of the water. Birds of prey swooping down to eat the fish jumping out of the water. Branches and vines are heavy laden with fruit like fox grapes, muscadines and elderberry. Crayfish could be found hiding under rocks. We would follow tracks and try to figure out the story the tracks would lead us to like nature detectives. We splashed water and swung on vines. Sometimes we gathered enough wild bounty to build a fire and cook a meal of fish, crayfish, clams and fruit. I remember even getting rained on more than once but I always raised my children to enjoy the rain…it was like a baptism into nature.
Water nourishes and hydrates every cell of our body. Water cleanses us….nothing like a nice bath or shower, right? Water along with fire cooks our food. Water also provides boundaries, very often a state or country’s boundary lines are established by bodies of water. Water makes it possible for us to travel by boat. Rain gives life to every living thing. Water can also be destructive like a flood or tsunami. Water patiently over thousands of years can wear down the hardest rock.
We start our lives out living in water. Inside the mother for nine months the infant floats about safely in water. When the water breaks it is a sign that the child is about to be born. Jesus told Nicodemus that all had to be born of the water and of the spirit in John chapter 3. He even went as far as to say we must be born again. When we are born again our spirit awakens within us (John 3:6). That is what Jesus meant when He told Nicodemus we must be born again, that we must be born of water (natural physical birth) and of the spirit (John 3:5-6) (For whole encounter with Nicodemus, read John 3:1-21). Ultimately this is speaking of going to heaven when we die but I believe if we broaden its meaning a little I believe it also speaks of us being able to discern spiritually, to see God’s hand at work in this world and in our lives. I believe it speaks that we cannot truly believe and trust God to work in our lives until our eyes are spiritually open which happens when our spirit is quickened to life and put back in relationship with God. For when we are born again His Spirit dwells with us and connects to our spirit.
Only God can be everywhere at all times and also dwell in the hearts of every believer connecting them as one and yet be so individual in us as to care for, guide us and direct our individual paths.
It is God’s desire that we walk in the Spirit (Romans 8:1. Galatians 5:25). Galatians 5:16 says, “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.” He so desires that we walk in the reality that we are spirit beings, empowered by His Spirit. That is why many are so weak, powerless and worldly because they have not learned and accepted and believed they are indeed spirit beings living in a body. “But you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you.” (Romans 8:9).
Now go with me to John 7:37-38
“In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believes on me, as the scripture has said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.”
For those who don’t know, the scriptures in the New Testament were originally written in Greek. The word used here for the belly is koilias (κοιλίας). This word can be translated in several ways. It can literally be interpreted the physical belly and digestive organs. It can also be translated as a woman’s womb. The implication here and as properly interpreted in some modern translations is our innermost being. So, It really depends on how deep your innermost being goes. Think about it. A person that is subject to the flesh, a worldly-thinking person is probably going to gush out fleshly, worldly things, even selfish, lusty things. The soul is the seat of your mind, will and emotions. So, if a person is only as deep as their soul they gush forth emotional responses or things of the intellect, not really comprehending spiritual things. You know the type, everything has to be logical, scientific and explainable. If a person is spiritual though, and in a relationship with God, they are going to gush forth with spiritual insight and understanding. They will speak and understand things with a spiritual depth. They are not subject to their emotions or have to figure things out with their mind. They walk by faith and trust in God and not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). They see beyond what circumstances appear to be.
There is a great story in Ezekiel 47:1-5 I would like to share with you.
“Afterward he brought me again unto the door of the house; and, behold, waters issued out from under the threshold of the house eastward: for the forefront of the house stood toward the east, and the waters came down from under from the right side of the house, at the south side of the altar.
2 Then brought he me out of the way of the gate northward, and led me about the way without unto the utter gate by the way that looks eastward; and, behold, there ran out waters on the right side.
3 And when the man that had the line in his hand went forth eastward, he measured a thousand cubits, and he brought me through the waters; the waters were to the ankles.
4 Again he measured a thousand, and brought me through the waters; the waters were to the knees. Again he measured a thousand, and brought me through; the waters were to the loins.
5 Afterward he measured a thousand; and it was a river that I could not pass over: for the waters were risen, waters to swim in, a river that could not be passed over.
In this passage, the prophet Ezekiel has a vision of someone leading him into the waters. He says at first it is only up to the ankles, then to the knees and eventually he is led into waters deep enough to swim in. How deep is your walk with God? Way too many people only want to wade around up to their ankles. They just go to church but they never really want to get any deeper. They are content with just enough church attendance to make them feel good, get a little guilt off of them, and appease that still small voice in them that they know deep down wants to draw them into a deeper experience with God. God is always drawing us deeper into a relationship with Him. Psalm 42:7 says “Deep calls to deep.” God is so deep and knows all things and He calls to that deepest part in us, our spirit. We are spiritual beings whether we want to deny it or not. Our spirit and God’s Spirit is calling to us from deep within, calling us to what we are meant to be. It is a hunger and a thirst. If we try to feed that hunger or quench that thirst with any other thing but God we will always be unsatisfied. Many try to fill this hunger with drugs, alcohol, promiscuity, power, careers and more. These things can never satisfy. Neither can you fill this place with religion, legalism, self-righteousness or pompous piety. Ah, but he who hungers and thirsts after righteousness shall be satisfied (Matthew 5:6).
How deep are you? What is really in you? Luke 6:45 says
“A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.”
This verse isn’t just about what we say. Speaking is an outward manifestation of what is within. So, what is in us and the depth of our innermost being is what will come out of us. How we speak to other people, how we respond in trying situations, how we view others, the things we talk about and laugh at, the way we treat people, the way we treat our families, our priorities, what entertains us, our desire for God, our desire to spend time in the Word of God and prayer….All these things are indicators of how deep we are and what depth our innermost being is at. Get in an interactive relationship with God. You speaking to God and Him speaking to you. He speaks to you in your life circumstances, He speaks to you when you read the Word, He speaks when you fellowship with other believers who are in a relationship with God, and He speaks to you when you pray. Listen for His voice. He is speaking everywhere and in everything if you will only develop a habit and a skill of listening. That’s right, listening does not come naturally it is a skill that must be learned. It is interacting with your world as a Spirit person that you go deeper. As you do things God’s way, not in a legalistic fashion but in a love relationship, it will become more and more natural as you walk in it. This is what is meant by walking in the Spirit (Galatians 5:16).
It is up to you. How deep do you want to go? What are you afraid of? I think many people are afraid of what God will require of them. Believe me, God knows what you are made of. He knows what you are best suited for. He isn’t going to call you to do something you are not ready for. God doesn’t hurt. He only wants the best for you.
Trust God, my friend. Deep is calling to deep. What will your answer be?
I hope you are enjoying this series. Next time we look at spiritual dimensions of Earth. I also cover all four elements in my book FIRE WATER EARTH AIR.
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In