My wife and I parked the car and walked to the sidewalk that followed the rapidly moving water. The river was wide and in the distance a rumbling could be heard. I picked up a small branch and chucked it into the river. It immediately shot forward and in no time vanished out-of-site around the bend, quickly heading towards the thundering sound we were hearing the closer we came. As we rounded the bend,
we stopped, awed by the spectacular sight. The river seemed to plunge into the sky and disappear. In its place was left the mist and roar of the mighty Niagara River as it dropped out of sight.

Did you know that Niagara Falls is not the highest falls in the world? It is definitely very impressive with 6 million cubic ft. of water that goes over the crest-line of the falls every minute. The rapids above the falls reach a maximum speed of 25 mph, with the fastest speeds occurring at the falls themselves (recorded up to 68 mph.).

The “Maid of the Mist” is a tour boat that takes you close to the bottom of the falls and allows you to experience the noise, power, and the clouds of midst, as the water whirls around and speeds off down the river to Lake Ontario. Standing on the deck of the Maid of the Mist, one is totally covered with the wetness of the mist.

In Chapter 4 in the Gospel of John, Jesus is talking to the Samaritan woman about His thirst and His desire for a drink. The symbolic meaning of His thirst is a beautiful, gentle, moving story of encounter and conversion.

In verse 10, Jesus says, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” In verse 14 He says, “… the water that I shall give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

In Chapter 7:37-38, Jesus picks up the theme again of thirst and living water. He says, “If any one thirst, let him come to me and drink… ‘Out of his heart shall flow rivers of living water.’ Now this he said about the Spirit, which those who believed in him were to receive…”

So what is the connection to Niagara Falls? Jesus came in order to send the Holy Spirit, to be with us, and dwell in us. This is the Living Water Jesus speaks of. This amazing Gift is often overlooked, so little known or appreciated. The Holy Spirit is the abundance of the water (life), the power and beauty of God. He is breathtaking, and covers us with His mist.  Jesus tells us in Jn. 3:34, that God does not limit or measure out the Holy Spirit, but gives Him in an unlimited lavished way, pouring Him into our hearts and we will never spiritually thirst again.

For Reflection:
Do I take time to reflect on the powerful Gift that God offers me in and through the Holy Spirit? Have I taken time to think about the Holy Spirit as the ‘living water’ and how abundantly God pours Him into me? How do I respond to this great Gift of Love?

Prayer:
Come Holy Spirit, stir within me Your Living Water. Wash over me, cleansing me of all doubt and fear. Quench my spiritual thirst by welling up within me, that I may be a source of spiritual refreshment for those around me.

(blogged June 15, 2024)
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