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This Is Water

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In the book of Jonah the author alludes to two distinct Psalms: Psalm 18, and Psalm 42. He prays: For You cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the floods surrounded me; all Your waves and Your billows passed over me. (Jonah 2:3) Psalm 42:7 states:[Roaring] deep calls to [roaring] deep at the thunder of Your waterspouts; all Your breakers and Your rolling waves have gone over me. What’s ironic about Jonah’s usage of this psalm is Psalm 42:1-2 states: As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O God. 2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God? (NKJV) Why is that ironic? Jonah is surrounded by water but thirsts for God.

In 2005, David Foster Wallace addressed the graduating class at Kenyon College with a speech that became a best selling book. His commencement speech titled,“This Is Water” began with the following parable: There are these two young fish swimming along, and they happen to meet an older fish swimming the other way, who nods at them and says, “Morning, boys. How’s the water?” And the two young fish swim on for a bit, and then eventually one of them looks over at the other and goes, “What is water?”

How could the reality, and conscious awareness of an encounter with God in Jonah’s past, exceed the realities of the horror of being swallowed by a great fish, sinking to the depths of the ocean, and facing certain death? How do you become so conscious of God that you compare Him to that which could kill you? You pray that you become conscious of your unconsciousness. Have you ever been fishing and observed how the fish “pants,” or “thirsts” for water? Water is the air it breathes. Have you ever been trapped under water, your mind screaming to breathe air?

David Foster Wallace nearing the end of his commencement speech surmised: The capital-T Truth is about life BEFORE death. It is about the real value of a real education, which has almost nothing to do with knowledge, and everything to do with simple awareness; awareness of what is so real and essential, so hidden in plain sight all around us, all the time, that we have to keep reminding ourselves over and over: This is water. This is water.

When I was a child there were two places I could count on experiencing God: lying down on the floor of the woods in the leaves, and sitting on a sand dune watching the ocean waves crash to the shore. What was the core ingredient? Peace, and an awareness that I was not alone. Even though I had not been born-again spiritually I knew there was more to life than the air I breathed. He was in the air, and in the water. In fact, HE IS. All that is required is a child-like anticipation. You just have to be still enough to know it. Aware of the “capital-T Truth.” The fish in David Foster Wallace’s parable had lost the wonder of being suspended in a substance they were never conscious of. You and I are suspended in the Presence of the God Who suspends the universe in His Hand. We are the fish. Don’t be suspended by the water but be suspended by the Presence of God. Want His Reality like a fish panting for water, or a drowning human screaming for air.

During this season of Elul very few of the people swimming around you have taken the time to be still and listen. How many times have you missed your time with God? How many times have you missed walking with Him through your garden and His? Jonah was surrounded by water but it was salty, undrinkable water. Is the missing ingredient in your quest for thirsting for more of God more salt in life?

“We leak!”

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James 4:7-8 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 

The Jewish month of Elul begins today, Monday, August 25 and extends to September, 23, 2025. What significance does that have for us as followers of Yeshua? Elul prepares the Jewish people for the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah (Monday, September 22 – Wednesday, September 24, 2025 or according to God’s Calendar then year 5786). This new year is followed by a ten day period of prayer, self-examination and repentance. It is the custom that during the month of Elul, the celebrations of Rosh Hashanah, and Yom Kippur that a shofar (ram’s horn) is blown indicating that it’s time for the spiritually complacent, those who have fallen asleep spiritually, are needing to wake up. Is this what Paul had in mind when he wrote: “Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”? (Eph. 5:14) Some may be tempted to say, Well that’s simply legalism; an Old Testament practice. Why do we need to seek God when we already have Him living in our hearts? Which, on the surface, appears to be a good question. Yet, they totally discount the New Testament Scripture that exhorts the same. It’s interesting how we have a selective process of reading Scripture. We often look for the things that support our opinions rather than allowing the truth to change us and lead us to change our thinking and way of living. Case in point? James 4:7-8 was written as an exhortation to the church; people that were followers of Jesus. What did James exhort them to do? Submit, and draw near to God, resist the devil, cleanse your heart, etc. Why would these people, who have Jesus living inside, are temples of the Spirit, have forgiveness of sins, and have been declared that they are not guilty, need to seek after God? For the same reason that “these” people have left Jesus outside of His church service – knocking trying to get in, have become lukewarm in their love and zeal for Jesus, and His Word, have become hard-hearted, and the list just keeps on giving. C.H. Spurgeon was once asked, Why do we need to keep asking to be filled with the Spirit? His response? “We leak!”

I guess a more pertinent question would be to ask, Do you believe Jesus is about to return at any time? Do you believe He will come and tabernacle with us? (indicating the time of year He is planning on returning – the Feast of Tabernacles) Your answers to these questions results in a follow up question: Do you desire to have Jesus say to you, Well done, My good and faithful servant? or Depart from Me I never knew you? Many would say, But I know Jesus. To which I would reply, Are you making Jesus known? Any of us who claim to know Jesus would be about the business of making Jesus known. Any one of us who knows Jesus would be demonstrating their love and gratitude through uncompromised obedience, submission, and surrender to His Spirit and Word. Any one of us who truly knows Jesus would be living a lifestyle of having their thinking, and lifestyles changed to conform more fully to His example and word.

Renewing our seeking after the Presence of Jesus calls us back to True Center of Who we have drifted from. In other words, We leak! Now the question becomes, How do you seek after Jesus? What does that look like in a follower of Jesus’ life?