Brett Blair shares how, some years ago in South America, a crew of Peruvian Sailors heading up the Amazon River came upon a strange sight. A Spanish ship was anchored off the coast, and as the Peruvians drew closer they saw that the Spaniards were in terrible physical condition. They looked the picture of death itself, their lips parched and swollen. They were dying of thirst.

“Can we help you?” shouted the Peruvians.

The Spaniards cried out, “Water! Water! We need fresh water!”

The Peruvian sailors, surprised at this request, told them to lower their buckets and help themselves.

The Spaniards, fearing they’d been misunderstood cried back, “No, no we need FRESH water!

But they received the same reply from the Peruvians to lower their buckets and help themselves. They finally did lower their buckets into the ocean waters and when they brought the buckets on deck they discovered to their amazement fresh water. There at the mouth of the Amazon river, anchored for days, too far from land to see the coast, but not too far from the mouth of the river, they had fresh water in abundance.²

How like the blessings of God. They surround us everywhere we look and are new every morning—and he and he alone has the water of life. As Jesus said, “Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life’”

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you for your endless blessings you surround me with every day and, above all, thank you for providing the water of eternal life. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. John 4:13-14 (NIV).

2. Brett Blair, www.eSermons.com