34 When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things. 35 And when it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the hour is now late. 36 Send them away to go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.” 37 But he answered them, “You give them something to eat.” And they said to him, “Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give it to them to eat?” 38 And he said to them, “How many loaves do you have? Go and see.” And when they had found out, they said, “Five, and two fish.” 39 Then he commanded them all to sit down in groups on the green grass. 40 So they sat down in groups, by hundreds and by fifties. 41 And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing and broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the people. And he divided the two fish among them all. 42 And they all ate and were satisfied. 43 And they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish. 44 And those who ate the loaves were five thousand men.
– Mark 6:34-44 (ESV)
When Jesus was confronted with a need, He did not begin by asking “What do you lack?”. He asked “What do you have?” The issue was not what the circumstances dictated but whether the Manna of the Living God was present (John 6:30-34). It wasn’t the lack of water at Rephidim that determined whether God’s children would survive their desert wanderings. It was the presence of Christ, prefigured in the water from the rock, that ensured the thirst of His people would be quenched (Exodus 17:1-7). It wasn’t the disobedience of the people of Israel and the consequent curse on their land and water that determined whether Jericho would ever again be fruitful. It was the presence of Christ, prefigured in Elisha, that graciously, mercifully, removed the curse and made healthy water flow from the ground (II Kings 2:19-22). It wasn’t the lack of water on the ground or the lack of clouds in the sky that sealed the fate of the armies in the wilderness of Edom. It was the presence of Christ, again prefigured in Elisha, that made water flow in abundance (II Kings 3:1-20).
If Jesus was not raised to life then our faith is futile.
But He is alive.
That means He is present in His people through the Holy Spirit.
And that means we lack nothing. NOTHING.
Sweetwater seeks clients who are experiencing “impossible” water situations. There isn’t enough water. There is death in the water that is available. We do so because we believe that in Christ we have abundant water. We have clean water. We have the Living Water. We carry Christ wherever we go and thus are privileged as God’s ambassadors to see Him work miracles with water that draw out of the mouths of onlookers this hymn of praise: “The hand of the Lord has done this!” (Isaiah 41:17-20)