What to Do When the Well Runs Dry
What to Do When the Well Runs Dry
"Give us water to drink."
Exodus 17:2
Introduction
"When the well's dry, we know the worth of water," wrote Benjamin Franklin. [1] People indeed often take ordinary things for granted until they are no longer there. I recall the situation in arid West Texas, where I once served as a pastor in Big Spring. The value of water was well-known in that part of the state, where ninety percent of the economy was based upon agriculture. The area had suffered from long-term drought, which hindered the growth of crops like sorghum, wheat, and cotton, and area residents knew well the significance of water. Municipalities had the financial means to purchase water there, unlike most of the world's population. Dwindling global water supplies, due to climate change, over-consumption, and population growth, have led to severe water scarcity for billions of residents on our planet.
The scope of the issue boggles the mind and sustainable solutions to water shortages seem well beyond individual reach. Nonetheless, this global need raises an important question as to what our Christian responsibility might be to preserve water supplies and partner with others to provide those in want with clean water. Truly, the ever-growing scarcity of water begs for our attention and action.
The scope of the issue boggles the mind and sustainable solutions to water shortages seem well beyond individual reach. Nonetheless, this global need raises an important question as to what our Christian responsibility might be to preserve water supplies and partner with others to provide those in want with clean water. Truly, the ever-growing scarcity of water begs for our attention and action.
The global reality: A dry and thirsty planet
The United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) claimed a right to safe and clean drinking water and sanitation (2010). Understandably, the cost and logistics needed to satisfy such a right are formidable. Even so, the need is pressing because more than three-quarters of a billion people lack access to an improved water source. Unclean water contributes to “many water-related illnesses, food insecurity, lost productivity, and poor school attendance; especially for women and girls.” [2] The moral concern of clean water also strikes closer to home.
Amazingly, “more than 30 million Americans lived in areas where water systems violated safety rules at the beginning of last year," according to data from the Environmental Protection Agency. [3] Furthermore, of the seventy-six largest water utilities in North Texas, where I reside, twenty were in violation of the federal Safe Drinking Water Act. This fact means that more than 1.7 million citizens in this region alone are impacted because the water is either unsafe to drink or has not been properly tested. [4] The moral implications and obligations for humans, as God's assigned creation stewards, should be evident (Genesis 1:28-31).
Here is the challenge: All God’s creation, which includes humans, animals, and plant life, have a right to clean water and humankind should strive to preserve and provide quality water across the planet. Christians will seek instruction from God's word about their duties to be good stewards of the planet.
Amazingly, “more than 30 million Americans lived in areas where water systems violated safety rules at the beginning of last year," according to data from the Environmental Protection Agency. [3] Furthermore, of the seventy-six largest water utilities in North Texas, where I reside, twenty were in violation of the federal Safe Drinking Water Act. This fact means that more than 1.7 million citizens in this region alone are impacted because the water is either unsafe to drink or has not been properly tested. [4] The moral implications and obligations for humans, as God's assigned creation stewards, should be evident (Genesis 1:28-31).
Here is the challenge: All God’s creation, which includes humans, animals, and plant life, have a right to clean water and humankind should strive to preserve and provide quality water across the planet. Christians will seek instruction from God's word about their duties to be good stewards of the planet.
Life giving water
God, the giver of rain. I once joined with several other local pastors in the West Texas area to call the community to a prayer meeting to petition the Lord to send rain. We were not doubtful of the value of science. We were supportive of crop research programs guided by local universities. However, this group of faith leaders and local dry land crop growers knew that we needed what science could not provide: God-given rain. We had good biblical grounds for asking God to help us. For example, John's Gospel demonstrates the connection between the Creator and His creation. Jesus presents himself as the moral link between the need for physical water and spiritual water when He stands before a crowd on the last day of the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles and invites those who are thirsty to come to him and drink! His words created a powerful impact, for the people were praying for rain at this festival! (Cf. John 7:1-52; see esp. verses 18, 33-34, 37-39).
Demonstrating our trust in God to provide. On each of the last seven days of the feast, priests would draw water from the Pool of Siloam, which was fed by the spring of Gihon. The spring was the only natural source of water in the city and it flowed into Jerusalem through a man-made aqueduct tunnel that protected the clean water supply from invaders (Cf. Nehemiah 2:14). The people had built the tunnel, but knew that God supplied the water. Water throughout the Bible holds deep physical and spiritual significance! [5] It is a living metaphor that speaks to the inter-relatedness of our whole being with the creation God has made.
As the priests neared the water gate in the city of Jerusalem, the shofar was sounded and then psalms of praise and thanksgiving were sung to God for the harvest (Psalms 113-118). They carried the water to the temple in a golden pitcher. Here they would circle the altar with the high priest in the lead. This parade took place daily for six days, and then seven times on the seventh day. The procession signified their trust in God to supply rain.
Solemn reflection and prayer. On the eighth day there was no water ceremony. This was a day devoted to solemn reflection and prayer. There were historical variations to the steps in the process, but the point was petitioning God for his provision of water, because this time of the year was marked by nearly empty cisterns after the annual summer dry season. God's people honored Him by symbolizing that their entire lives and livelihoods depended upon His gift of water! It was into this extraordinary context that Jesus stood and declared, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink" (7:39; Cf. 4:10). Jesus shows us that, while water is essential to physical life, spiritual water is vital to life everlasting (see John 4:13-14).
Physical water reminds of our spiritual thirst. We dare not miss John’s explanation, or we will overlook the meaning of Christ's words and actions (7:37-39). A day would be coming when the Holy Spirit would be poured out like water on the parched earth (cf. 20:22; Acts 2). We see everything God intends for humans clearly in the words of Jesus. He feeds (bread, John 6), He quenches (water, John 7), He enlightens (light, John 8), and He cleanses and saves (John 4:14). Christ's example calls for Christians to work to supply both types of water for a thirsty world. Sadly, some Christian misconceptions can truncate our efforts to provide safe water for the planet and also hinder our witness to Christ, who supplies living water.
Demonstrating our trust in God to provide. On each of the last seven days of the feast, priests would draw water from the Pool of Siloam, which was fed by the spring of Gihon. The spring was the only natural source of water in the city and it flowed into Jerusalem through a man-made aqueduct tunnel that protected the clean water supply from invaders (Cf. Nehemiah 2:14). The people had built the tunnel, but knew that God supplied the water. Water throughout the Bible holds deep physical and spiritual significance! [5] It is a living metaphor that speaks to the inter-relatedness of our whole being with the creation God has made.
As the priests neared the water gate in the city of Jerusalem, the shofar was sounded and then psalms of praise and thanksgiving were sung to God for the harvest (Psalms 113-118). They carried the water to the temple in a golden pitcher. Here they would circle the altar with the high priest in the lead. This parade took place daily for six days, and then seven times on the seventh day. The procession signified their trust in God to supply rain.
Solemn reflection and prayer. On the eighth day there was no water ceremony. This was a day devoted to solemn reflection and prayer. There were historical variations to the steps in the process, but the point was petitioning God for his provision of water, because this time of the year was marked by nearly empty cisterns after the annual summer dry season. God's people honored Him by symbolizing that their entire lives and livelihoods depended upon His gift of water! It was into this extraordinary context that Jesus stood and declared, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink" (7:39; Cf. 4:10). Jesus shows us that, while water is essential to physical life, spiritual water is vital to life everlasting (see John 4:13-14).
Physical water reminds of our spiritual thirst. We dare not miss John’s explanation, or we will overlook the meaning of Christ's words and actions (7:37-39). A day would be coming when the Holy Spirit would be poured out like water on the parched earth (cf. 20:22; Acts 2). We see everything God intends for humans clearly in the words of Jesus. He feeds (bread, John 6), He quenches (water, John 7), He enlightens (light, John 8), and He cleanses and saves (John 4:14). Christ's example calls for Christians to work to supply both types of water for a thirsty world. Sadly, some Christian misconceptions can truncate our efforts to provide safe water for the planet and also hinder our witness to Christ, who supplies living water.
Forward steps: Christian witness through creation care
Correct flawed views of God's creation. A critique of Christians has been that our worldview, which rightly features a concern for humans and their salvation, sometimes fosters a neglect of the natural world. One of the more direct ways to bring the gospel to bear on the lives of helpless people is to help them gain access to clean water—physically and spiritually. After all, a vital part of loving our neighbor and peacemaking is to bring the Gospel to bear on whole persons. [6]
Christianity has also been accused of contributing, albeit indirectly, to environmental ruin due to "anthropocentrism," meaning the false belief that humans are at the center of reality and the universe should be viewed primarily through the lens of human values and interests. Those holding to such an understanding focus their appeals to scripture on the idea that God gave human beings dominion over creation, which we are to subdue (cf. Genesis 1:26-31). The temptation is to presume that "dominion" means sovereign rule, even permissible exploitation, over creation.
However, a proper Christian perspective places God in His rightful place as center of the universe and acknowledges that He alone is the "Source and Upholder of meaning, purpose, values, and ethics, as well as the unifying principle of the cosmos." [7] Christians indeed have been given the mandate to exercise dominion over God's creation, which shares some things in common with an anthropocentric view, but the prescription to rule includes the responsibility to care! [8]
Demonstrate care "for" God's creation. Responsible Christians will take action to foster the health of God's created world. When we view creation as God purposely created it, then we will see it as an interrelated whole. For example, seventy percent of freshwater use is for agriculture, and it is now projected that severe scarcity will occur in the coming decades. Parts of western North America, northwestern India, northern China, the Middle East, and portions of Africa, live with scarcity as a daily reality. Twenty-one of the thirty-seven known largest aquifers in the world are being depleted quicker than they are being replenished. [9] Human water consumption alone has increased global drought frequency by twenty-seven percent (27%). [10] Humans can and must do better.
Take immediate steps to reduce wasteful use of water. Christians will pause to consider their personal use of fresh water and its impact on drought regularity. Human activity, such as water usage, can significantly alter natural stream-flow, which occurs from sources like rain and snow. Reduced stream-flow by human consumption, for example, holds implications for aquatic habitats, and the survival of fish and other wildlife. Simple changes on a personal level may lead to adjusting our theology to see the world's need for clean water and include daily efforts to reduce our water usage and abuses (see below: "Global Health Matters," water saving tips).
Christians who are concerned with supplying clean water will also develop a broader awareness of the adverse influence of mass urbanization. Paved surfaces (roads, buildings) hinder rainfall from soaking into the ground. The removal of vegetation reduces water loss to the atmosphere and can lead to runoff, and wastewater and industrial emissions discharged into streams impact the flow of water and its quality. City planners and property developers are often well aware of the environmental impact of urban growth, but Christian citizens need to be informed and prepared to enter the public square and voice their concerns for the impact on water. They also need to become more involved on local and state levels to express their concerns for clean and abundant water.
Christianity has also been accused of contributing, albeit indirectly, to environmental ruin due to "anthropocentrism," meaning the false belief that humans are at the center of reality and the universe should be viewed primarily through the lens of human values and interests. Those holding to such an understanding focus their appeals to scripture on the idea that God gave human beings dominion over creation, which we are to subdue (cf. Genesis 1:26-31). The temptation is to presume that "dominion" means sovereign rule, even permissible exploitation, over creation.
However, a proper Christian perspective places God in His rightful place as center of the universe and acknowledges that He alone is the "Source and Upholder of meaning, purpose, values, and ethics, as well as the unifying principle of the cosmos." [7] Christians indeed have been given the mandate to exercise dominion over God's creation, which shares some things in common with an anthropocentric view, but the prescription to rule includes the responsibility to care! [8]
Demonstrate care "for" God's creation. Responsible Christians will take action to foster the health of God's created world. When we view creation as God purposely created it, then we will see it as an interrelated whole. For example, seventy percent of freshwater use is for agriculture, and it is now projected that severe scarcity will occur in the coming decades. Parts of western North America, northwestern India, northern China, the Middle East, and portions of Africa, live with scarcity as a daily reality. Twenty-one of the thirty-seven known largest aquifers in the world are being depleted quicker than they are being replenished. [9] Human water consumption alone has increased global drought frequency by twenty-seven percent (27%). [10] Humans can and must do better.
Take immediate steps to reduce wasteful use of water. Christians will pause to consider their personal use of fresh water and its impact on drought regularity. Human activity, such as water usage, can significantly alter natural stream-flow, which occurs from sources like rain and snow. Reduced stream-flow by human consumption, for example, holds implications for aquatic habitats, and the survival of fish and other wildlife. Simple changes on a personal level may lead to adjusting our theology to see the world's need for clean water and include daily efforts to reduce our water usage and abuses (see below: "Global Health Matters," water saving tips).
Christians who are concerned with supplying clean water will also develop a broader awareness of the adverse influence of mass urbanization. Paved surfaces (roads, buildings) hinder rainfall from soaking into the ground. The removal of vegetation reduces water loss to the atmosphere and can lead to runoff, and wastewater and industrial emissions discharged into streams impact the flow of water and its quality. City planners and property developers are often well aware of the environmental impact of urban growth, but Christian citizens need to be informed and prepared to enter the public square and voice their concerns for the impact on water. They also need to become more involved on local and state levels to express their concerns for clean and abundant water.
Conclusion
The Baptist Center for Global Concerns cares for God's creation, which includes human souls and life on the planet. This has led us to partner in the past with Nigerian Baptists to drill a much-needed water well near the city of Ibadan (see photo above). We also are alert to the need for clean water in our own area (see Luke 10:25-37). Christ’s church, the people of God, wherever they may be, should be seen working diligently amid human misery, providing care, and pointing the way to life-giving water.
It is abundantly clear that all life on this planet, human and otherwise, needs sufficient clean water to survive. The proposed forward steps stated in this brief article represent a tiny drop of perspective in a sea of thought on the ethics of clean water. Nevertheless, a single drop of water represents a building block for life. It is one essential part of the larger processes that sustain ecosystems. And, metaphorically, the drop of water, your Christian voice and actions, represents how small, consistent efforts often lead to sweeping, positive change. Be the change God needs to impact the world in which we all live.
Prayerfully yours,
Larry C. Ashlock
It is abundantly clear that all life on this planet, human and otherwise, needs sufficient clean water to survive. The proposed forward steps stated in this brief article represent a tiny drop of perspective in a sea of thought on the ethics of clean water. Nevertheless, a single drop of water represents a building block for life. It is one essential part of the larger processes that sustain ecosystems. And, metaphorically, the drop of water, your Christian voice and actions, represents how small, consistent efforts often lead to sweeping, positive change. Be the change God needs to impact the world in which we all live.
Prayerfully yours,
Larry C. Ashlock
Notes:
1. The maxim appears in Poor Richard's Alamanack (1746). It is not known whether he was the first to coin the expression.
2. Hall, et. al, Sci Eng. Ethics, “The Human Right to Water: The Importance of Domestic and Productive Water Rights.”
3. Justin Worland, in Time, 2-20-2020, “America’s Clean Water Crisis Goes Far Beyond Flint. There’s No Relief in Sight.”
4. CBCDFW, “North Texas Cities Fail to Test Safety of Drinking Water.”
5. First, the water that flowed from the rock in the Exodus story comes to mind (cf. Psalm 105:40-42). Secondly, we may link together bread and water (Exodus 16:12; 17:6; Psalm 78:15-16; Isaiah 48:21; NAC). Thirdly, the water that flowed was a symbol of God’s provision in Ezekiel’s temple vision (Ezekiel 47:1-12; cf. Revelation 22:1-2). Lastly, we may link water and salvation as Isaiah does (12:3).
6. Douglas J. Moo and Johnathan A. Moo, Creation Care: A Biblical Theology of the Natural World, 29. See also Ken Magnuson, Invitation to Christian Ethics, 508.
7. Ken Magnuson, Invitation to Christian Ethics, 509.
8. Douglas J. Moo and Johnathan A. Moo, Creation Care: A Biblical Theology of the Natural World, 29.
9. Moo, 207.
10. Ibid. See also, Wad Yoshide, et al, "Human Water Consumption Intensifies Hydrological Drought Worldwide," Environmental Research Letters 8 (2013). Accessed online, 27 August 2025.
1. The maxim appears in Poor Richard's Alamanack (1746). It is not known whether he was the first to coin the expression.
2. Hall, et. al, Sci Eng. Ethics, “The Human Right to Water: The Importance of Domestic and Productive Water Rights.”
3. Justin Worland, in Time, 2-20-2020, “America’s Clean Water Crisis Goes Far Beyond Flint. There’s No Relief in Sight.”
4. CBCDFW, “North Texas Cities Fail to Test Safety of Drinking Water.”
5. First, the water that flowed from the rock in the Exodus story comes to mind (cf. Psalm 105:40-42). Secondly, we may link together bread and water (Exodus 16:12; 17:6; Psalm 78:15-16; Isaiah 48:21; NAC). Thirdly, the water that flowed was a symbol of God’s provision in Ezekiel’s temple vision (Ezekiel 47:1-12; cf. Revelation 22:1-2). Lastly, we may link water and salvation as Isaiah does (12:3).
6. Douglas J. Moo and Johnathan A. Moo, Creation Care: A Biblical Theology of the Natural World, 29. See also Ken Magnuson, Invitation to Christian Ethics, 508.
7. Ken Magnuson, Invitation to Christian Ethics, 509.
8. Douglas J. Moo and Johnathan A. Moo, Creation Care: A Biblical Theology of the Natural World, 29.
9. Moo, 207.
10. Ibid. See also, Wad Yoshide, et al, "Human Water Consumption Intensifies Hydrological Drought Worldwide," Environmental Research Letters 8 (2013). Accessed online, 27 August 2025.
Posted in Pathway Perspectives