Restart: Compassion and JusticeSample

WATER Planet Earth could be renamed Planet Water. Although 75% of the Earth’s surface is water, only 1% is drinkable. Nations battle to keep this resource to themselves, building huge reservoirs and constructing dams to divert it for their own needs. Even at home, drought restrictions remind us to think carefully about our use of this precious substance. In this passage from Isaiah, God promises water: the barren desert will burst forth with growth. The prophet’s words show the importance of water and the difference it can make in people’s lives. Lack of water—or being forced to drink unhealthy water—is the biggest single cause of disease and death in the world today. Giving people clean water allows them to flourish. Crops can be grown, communities can be developed, families can bathe and children who otherwise would spend all day searching for water have a chance to get an education. Water can bring life to barren lives just as it can cause the desert to bloom. What does God promise to provide in this passage? If you lived in a drought-impacted area, how would these promises make you feel? What areas of the world are you aware of right now that are experiencing a drought? Consider donating money toward the construction of a well in a country that desperately needs clean water. Pray: You, Lord, can turn deserts into lakes and scorched land into flowing streams. Help us to work with you to channel water toward people who desperately need it.