Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” 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 the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. – Revelation 21:1‭-‬6

Wow this is it the last water-related passage in the bible. I am sure I have missed some, but by my reckoning there are over 700 water related passages, and I have completed 754 posts since I started this blog back in June of 2014. It is hard to believe it has been seven years. So much has happened during that time; pandemics, presidents coming and going, earthquakes, and all manner of earthly events. What has remained constant amidst all of this change is God. He is truly the Beginning, the End, and everything in between.

It is appropriate that this passage begins with the new heaven and earth. Yesterday’s post explored some of this theologically turbulent water, but the added detail that I find really interesting here is the statement that “there was no longer any sea”. This could of course be describing a physical reality where the oceans disappear for some reason, but given the metaphorical meaning of the seas in my float so far I wonder if there is deeper meaning. The sea has many times been used metaphorically to refer to the spiritual ocean that surrounds us, but which we have difficulty seeing or experiencing while we are here on earth in our bodies.

The statement “there was no longer any sea” could mean that we will no longer view it as a different place that is bounded by a beach and boundary we cannot cross without help. Our souls will be in their native habitat and they will be home, a home that is also God’s home, “God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them.” This fellowship with God will be unlike anything we can even imagine, perhaps even different than Adam and Eve and their walks with the master gardener in Eden.

In this place there will be none of the secular things that seem to ensnare us here on earth “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” This will not be just a lack of pain and suffering but those concepts will not apply anymore as our souls will be submersed in this new spiritual sea, so much so in fact that we will not even know that we are in it. Everything will be new and different, not in a harp plucking Hollywood sort way but in way we cannot even imagine.

The passage ends, and my journey exploring water passages in the bible ends, with what feels like a wink from God, “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life.” This is so powerful and so true. God is everything, and He is the only one that can truly satisfy our spiritual thirst.

God has given me “water without cost” for the last seven years. I hope and pray that some of the words I have tried to faithfully share have benefited those reading them and will continue to do so. I also hope and pray that I will continue to seek out my water supply from the Spring of Living Water that God has been showing me and teaching me about. I pray that I will have the opportunity to share this “water walk” with others. I am not sure what that looks like but God does.

Prayer: God thank You for walking with me so I could walk on water for a time. Help me to know where You need me to walk next.