The Dependable River of Life
The once-mighty Mississippi River is in crisis.
In recent years, the Mississippi River has experienced severe, months-long droughts that take hold across a vast swathe of America’s Midwest and South, regularly leaving the river at historic lows.
Forty percent of the continental United States drains into the river. The Mississippi River is far more than just a storied body of water. It is America’s superhighway. Ninety-two percent of all U.S. agricultural exports and 78 percent of the globe’s exported feed grain are transported on the river. From freshly harvested corn shipped all over the world to coffee that’s served in cafes across the Midwest, nearly 500 million tons of goods are shipped up and down the river every year. But today, the growing frequency of droughts is forcing barges to carry fewer goods.
Just a one-foot fall in water level shaves 100,000 bushels of soybeans from a typical 15-barge tow. That’s the equivalent of 2,738 metric tons—enough to overflow an Olympic-sized swimming pool.
A low Mississippi River is not only bad news for Americans, but also for countries as far away as China, Japan, and Indonesia where Midwestern grain and soybeans are essential food sources. In 2022, the low river levels resulted in an estimated $20 billion in lost trade.
Something dependable, some of us might even say almost eternal, is in danger of no longer being dependable.
Thankfully, we serve One whose power and provision flows dependably, eternally. He is, Himself, the Living Water — the source of all life.
"There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High" (Psalm 46:4, ESV).
"Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb" (Revelation 22:1, ESV).
Don't Make Them Send Flowers
Evangelical Bible scholar Howard Hendricks reportedly once told his son Bob, "Be so dependable that if you say you will be somewhere and don't show up, they send flowers."
Don't make them send flowers! "But let your word 'yes be 'yes,' and your 'no be 'no'" (Matthew 5:37, HCSB).
Different Questions, Same Answer
Chuck Swindoll poses several questions which he says are all different, yet share the same answer:
What will guard us against foolish extremes?
What characterizes those who are habitually successful in sports or sales or some skill?
What single quality in a business builds respect deeper than any other?
What brings security in relationships?
What makes us choose a particular brand name over all others?
What's needed most by parents in the home?
What draws you to the same restaurant time and again?
What do you want most from your paperboy…or milkman…or postman?
What will add more weight to your witness for Christ than anything else?
And, I might add, what one thing will most help you win tennis matches?
Dr. Charles R. Swindoll has served as pastor of some of our nation’s most prominent churches, chancellor of Dallas Theological Seminary, and Bible teacher on the internationally syndicated radio program Insight for Living. He has written more than thirty best-selling books, including STRENGTHENING YOUR GRIP, LAUGH AGAIN, THE GRACE AWAKENING, and the million-selling GREAT LIVES FROM GOD'S WORD series.
The answer, he says:
CONSISTENCY. That's the answer to all the questions, and you know it's true. Steadiness. … In biblical terms, constancy is a subtle, supple thread woven into the fabric of scriptural truth.
Let our model be Jesus. "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, yes and forever" (Hebrews 13:8).