As I write, the winter snow is melting after a long time on the ground, unusual for Kentucky. This melting snow has brought more people outdoors, the birds are twittering in delight for easier quenching of their thirst, and plants that will soon bud are getting good moisture for their roots.
Water can bring nourishment and joy in all its forms. That first snow is fun as it hushes human activity, covers the earth in a beautiful blanket, gives some seeds the winter scarification needed for germination, and can be a novel and thrilling scene of play for family dogs. As it melts, running water begins to bring new life to streams, ponds, fountains, aquifers and all the animals that depend on them — including us! Meanwhile, the sound, sight, and feel of water is therapeutic and spiritually enriching. Even water vapor and its related humidity enable better breathing, smoother skin and other natural processes necessary for life to thrive.
Mindful of the ways that water can be life-giving, it’s just as important to pay attention to the lack of water, and the destructive force of water, in other places. Water can be dangerous and its impacts sobering. In recent years there’s been a rise in droughts, hurricanes, and floods, all of which have done great damage to human communities and natural systems. Recovery is still ongoing in places of water-related natural disasters, and farmers around the world pray for rain — and in the right amount, as otherwise crops may fail and lead to human hunger.
God calls us to stand with those who suffer from the impacts of too much or too little water, even as we honor the gift of it when it comes as a blessing.
Rev. Rebecca Barnes, Manager, Presbyterian Hunger Program, Interim Unified Agency
Let us join in prayer for:
PC(USA) Agencies’ Staff:
Dan Braden, Managing Editor, Publishing, Presbyterian Publishing Corporation
Tara Brannigan, Financial Administrative Assistant, Stony Point Center, Interim Unified Agency
Let us pray:
Dear God, we give you thanks for all the gifts of your creation. You grant us life and help us to experience joy. You stand with us when any in your creation thirst or suffer. As we observe World Water Day, may we continue to find ways to share water resources equitably and to stand with communities suffering from water-related disasters, even as we celebrate the gift of water.
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