Genesis 1:6-8 Then God said, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.” 7 Thus God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament; and it was so. 8 And God called the firmament Heaven. So the evening and the morning were the second day.
Ephesians 5:26-27 that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, 27 that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.
Yesterday, we began our series of devotions focused on the birthing of the Kingdom. Continuing to develop these insights, let’s look at day 2 of creation and its focus upon water.
So much can be said: associated with creation itself, life, cleansing, purification, the Word of God, and the Holy Spirit, water, whenever it was made, was there at the beginning and carries tremendous meaning and significance in God’s creation.
And just as this world was conceived in and from water, our earthly life begins in the darkness of our mother’s womb, surrounded by water. Shortly before the final stage of birth, a critical event takes place which signals that there is no turning back now, as the increasing labor contractions leading to birth either have already begun or will begin shortly. The breaking of the amniotic sac, releasing the water in which the baby resides, precedes her soon coming passage through the birth canal.
In our personal spiritual journey, water baptism is a sacramental expression of our death to the self-life and resurrection to the new life in Messiah. It parallels our natural birth from water, a truth which is mentioned by the Lord in John’s gospel, “Except a man be born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God”; [John 3:5]. Our baptism is a moment of truth and revelation closely associated with the receiving of God’s Holy Spirit, a defining moment in our life, publicly expressing our new faith, [Luke 3:21-22], and it happens in and with water.
We can thus draw a close connection between water and commitment. When the water breaks, the mother becomes committed to the labor leading to birth. When a soul enters baptism, she commits to a life of death to sin and resurrection to new holy life. Since, in fact, our Lord predicted birth pangs leading to His coming, we might expect a defining moment when “the water breaks” and the labor begins in earnest, which leads to the second Advent. This would be a defining moment which expresses commitment; i.e. the Lord’s commitment to His promised return in judgment, and our commitment to endure to the end by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Labor is painful, as must be the birth pangs of the end of the age. This seems obvious. But what about the association between water and life, water and cleansing, water and purification, water and the Holy Spirit? We see a potential in the water breaking moment that involves tremendous blessing: purification of our lives through trials, an increase in our need for and dependance upon the Holy Spirit, and the resulting great potential for a harvest, a birthing of souls, as our lives become more profoundly committed and authentic to the Lord’s image. And perhaps this water breaking moment will signal a second fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy, “I will pour out my spirit on all mankind…”. We will see…
But, we do see what seem a lot like birth pangs now. Has the “water broken” yet? Maybe, maybe not, but we have never seen a greater need for true commitment, amidst these “contractions”. And one of the greatest promises ever delivered to mankind was also about water: “He who believes in me, as the scripture has said, From his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water.” [John 7:38] So, the water-breaking moment, whatever and whenever it happens, signals that God will be with us, for purification, cleansing, and empowerment, through hard contractions, right up until the end. And with His indwelling we can make it through, be more than conquerors, and participate in what may be the greatest harvest ever, at the end of the age.
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[worthy_plugins_devotion_single_body]Richard Wurmbrand, a Romanian Jewish Believer and an amazing man of God, spent 14 years in communist prisons where he was tortured brutally for his faith and then lived to tell about it. In his book, The Oracles of God, he writes about acquiring inner peace and tells the following powerful story.
Once upon a time, Aesop wrote, the beasts and the fowls were engaged in war. A doublehearted bat was trying to belong to both parties. When the birds were victorious, he would fly around telling everyone he was a bird, and when the beasts won, he would walk around assuring everyone that he was actually a beast. His insincerity was soon discovered and the devious bat was rejected by both the beasts and the birds. From that time on and forevermore, the bat would be banned from the light and would be only allowed to appear openly at night.
In the sermon on the mount, Yeshua said, “You are the light of the world,” and commanded us to let our lights shine that we may give glory to our Heavenly Father. This world is becoming more ungodly and dark, and by deep contrast, the saints of the Lord will shine brighter! A candle in a bright room isn’t particularly significant or easy to notice. A candle in the darkness shines like a lighthouse and offers the only source of guidance for movement.
Is it me, or is the world going nuts? Have we’ve entered the “Twilight Zone”? However, the Bible gave us an understanding of what the last days would entail. We are witnessing the groanings of creation, the literal birth-pangs of the “Day of the Lord”, we also must be awakened and prepared for the coming HARVEST.
Charles Spurgeon was a minister often accused of being “controversial”. One day a friend of Spurgeon’s remarked, “So, I hear you are in hot water again.”
“No, I’m not the one in hot water,” …
As I’ve been speaking across the United States, I’ve been stressing the need for our spiritual foundation to be solidified, and how important it is right now for believers to be grounded on the rock that doesn’t move!
In the midst of the American Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln called Vicksburg "the key to the Confederacy", and told his generals, "We do not yet have the key in our pocket!"