Inside Outside

In John 4:13 and 7:37, Jesus declared, His purpose in coming to earth was to fill us with Living Water. What does this mean? How do we receive it? Is it safe?

He wanted to make His nearness so real to us that it was described as Living Water which would fill us up, pour out of us and even surround us. 

The Living Water would also protect and insulate us from the inside and from the outside. It is remarkable that our Creator desires to draw so near to us. In scripture, it declares,

Abide in Me and I will abide in you. John 15:7.

In yet another place, it declares,

Draw near to Yahweh and Yahweh will draw near to you. James 4:8.

Have you ever been in touch with this longing, this desire for His presence, His nearness? Have you ever sensed this nearness, from within you and from outside of you? 

Have you sensed this call to fellowship and interaction? It manifests as water does: 

filling, overflowing, splashing, cascading, swirling, soaking, rippling, roaring, singing, crashing and all for joy.

I understand that the comparison to water can make some draw back for fear of the impact of natural water...

 in floods or large waves or the power of a river. 

However, remember always, God is love and joy and peace. This is how the Living Water operates....it brings love and joy and peace. Always.

This desire to draw near is more remarkable still.  His Word declares- His presence, can be likened to our very thought, word or breath. 

It is compared to water, ingested to the inside and distributed to the very cells of our being. What is more wonderful than a drink of cool water to someone who is dehydrated?

The thoughts of our Creator can be so near  they become as words on our tongues as in Isaiah 51:16;

I have put my words in you mouth and covered you with the shadow of my hand--I who set the heavens in place, who laid the foundations of the earth, and who say to Zion, You are my people.

As for me, this is my covenant with them, says the Lord. My Spirit, who is on you, and my words that I have put in your mouth will not depart from your mouth. Isaiah 59:21

Then the Lord reached out His hand and touched my mouth and said to me, Now, I have put my words in your mouth. Jeremiah 1:9.

This nearness can be as integrated as our very breath....as is John 20:21. In this verse the scripture declares Messiah breathed on the disciples and said, 

Receive the Holy Spirit.

He even said His Words were like Living Water which washed them inside and out.

You are already clean because of the Word I have spoken to you. John 15:3

Yahweh's Words, flowing from His Throne, are likened to the flow of a River as in Revelation 22 and Ezekiel 47. 

Living Water is also referred to as the flow of the Holy Spirit as in John 7:37, 38. Water is H20. Three in One, just as the Godhead; Father, Son and Holy Spirit. 

We are also made in this image; a trinity of body, soul and spirit and we are made up of 78% - 83% water (some parts of us even more). 

That's a lot of water. We relate to water and we will quickly deteriorate and die without it.

This is why I find it remarkable that water can be a medium to refresh us on the inside and on the outside. In scripture Living Water is shown in many different forms:

Pillar of Cloud-Exodus 13:21

River from the Throne- Revelation 22

Jordan (where we are baptized into the family of God)- John 1:28

Wellsprings of Joy- Isaiah 12:3.

Rain of blessing from heaven, Rain to grow our crops of harvest- Joel 2:23.

Even our prayers are referred to as waters;

Pour out your hearts like water before the face of the Lord...lift up your hands toward Him for the lives of your children. Lamentations 2:29

In the Old Testament the words for prophecy are water words;

Naba means to bubble up, to pour forth, to gush forth.

Nataf means to drop, to fall as drops of rain. 

(a prophetic word is about having His Word on our tongue more than foretelling) 

The point is that scripture refers to Living Water, much more than we are aware. Living Water can replenish us on the inside and refresh us on the outside. 

The Lord Himself created the water system, water was present before the account in Genesis. 

He carefully describes the working of His Spirit and His Word by describing it as water throughout the whole of the Bible.

In the book of John, Chapter 15, the Messiah is speaking with His disciples after communion. He says His friends must be like a branch attached to a vine,

Abide in Me as I abide in you. 

This is how the Living Waters of His presence can flow, inside and outside.

In the natural, water is something we must drink to be healthy. Yet, we also bath in it. We also play and splash in it. 

The very sound of water, sitting by a fountain, can be so refreshing, so delightful! 

Messiah also turned the water into wine. Talk about a refreshment of joy. He invites us into this refreshing experience in Ephesians 5: 17,18;

therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. 

It is His presence, His wisdom, His character, His own self, which He is offering us....for refreshment, 

cleansing, protection and life. He wants to fill us and flow around us....inside.....outside.

In Song of Solomon 5:1 The bridegroom, representing Jesus, is declaring to His companions...

Drink deeply, O Lovers. 

Bridegroom here, refers to Christ and His companions  are those who are believers. This bears repeating... He declares, Drink Deeply,  just after He has come to the garden of the bride, which refers to the Church.  

This is not a building (or service or man's tradition) but a living growing garden where there is a fountain of life.

The message is- take communion with the Living Water ... 

It is a relationship, a fellowship with His person and His presence, 

It is a marvelous filling and a surrounding of His very essence... from the inside and from the outside.