My wife and I love the water. We enjoy watching boats go up and down the Ohio River, which flows about 400 yards from our house. Some of our favorite vacations, such as cruises, involve water.

One trip took us to Niagara Falls. We stayed on the Canadian side of the falls. It was our first trip north of the border.

We went on several excursions in our 3 days at Niagara. One was a cable car ride over the whirlpool downstream from the falls. Another was a walk along the whitewater rapids. We also walked behind the falls to get a different perspective. One of the most memorable experiences of the whole vacation was our ride on the Maid of the Mist, a boat that takes passengers so close to the falls that it feels like you are in a pouring rain.

At night the falls are illuminated with a fantastic display of lights, including various colors that change from time to time.

I suppose the most amazing aspect of Niagara Falls is the sheer power of the water as it roars over the cliff to its destination below. People flock to view its magnificence, and they take pictures to record their experience for later enjoyment.

Gazing at the falls reminded me of how significant water is in the Bible. In the very beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth, “the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.” (Gen.1:1-2). It was through the miraculously parted waters of the Red Sea that God enabled his people to escape slavery in Egypt and enter into the Promised Land (Ex.14). David writes that our Good Shepherd leads us beside the still waters (Ps.23). Isaiah 55:1 urges us—“Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters…”

In the New Testament, we see that several of Jesus’ miracles involve water: turning the water into wine, walking on water and calming the storm, to name a few. Jesus compares the spiritual blessings he offers to water. “Jesus answered, “everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (Jn.4:13-14). In fact, Jesus teaches that in order to enter his kingdom we must be “born of water and the Spirit” (Jn.3:5).

People who believed in the message of Jesus and his apostles flocked to the water, where they repented and were baptized for the forgiveness of their sins. About 3,000 were added to the church after Peter preached his sermon on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:38-41). People continued to be buried with Jesus through baptism and were raised to live a new life (Rom.6:4). The process continues today for anyone who wants to receive Jesus as his or her Savior.

Are you thirsty? Then come to the water!