Waters of Salvation

I remember one preparation day on my mission in southern France when we went down to a quiet, rocky beach on the Mediterranean and I had time to sit and ponder.  I remember a general feeling of peace as I was moved by the scene of the ocean in front of me while reading a powerful talk about our Savior’s sacrifice.  Perhaps it was the feeling of the infinite that the ocean brings—there is seemingly no end to the water—that resonated with me as I contemplated the infinite atonement of the Savior.  The ever-moving waves of the ocean coupled with its unending supply of water is a powerful symbol of the Lord’s constant call to us to come unto Him and partake of His unending grace.  It’s no wonder to me that water is used frequently in the scriptures to represent the Savior and the path He invites us to follow.

               Isaiah particularly liked to use references to water, alluding to both its power and life-sustaining nature.  He wrote, “O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments! then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea” (Isaiah 48:18).  Keeping the commandments will bring to us peace like the constant flow of a river; living a righteous life patterned after the Savior will be as consistent as the waves of the ocean.   Isaiah again referenced the Lord’s promise of peace like water in another verse: “For thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream” (Isaiah 66:12).  Isaiah also used the wide expanse of the ocean to describe a future state of how a knowledge of the Savior would spread through the world: “They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea” (Isaiah 11:9).  In yet another passage Isaiah used water to describe the Lord’s power: “He shall dwell on high: his place of defence shall be the munitions of rocks: bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure” (Isaiah 33:16).  Isaiah’s words teach us that the strength, peace, and consistency of streams, rivers, and oceans should remind us of the greatness of our God and His goodness and power in our lives.   

               Isaiah also taught that the Lord will nourish us spiritually in the same manner as life-sustaining water that we drink.  He promised the faithful with this powerful imagery, “And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not” (Isaiah 58:11).  He also invited us to come and partake of this water that He offers, “Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat” (Isaiah 55:1).  Those waters are the Lord’s grace and power He gives us, or as he put it another way: “Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation” (Isaiah 12:3).  He also promised, “For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring” (Isaiah 44:3).  In yet another reference to water’s power to sustain life, Isaiah wrote, “They shall not hunger nor thirst; neither shall the heat nor sun smite them: for he that hath mercy on them shall lead them, even by the springs of water shall he guide them” (Isaiah 49:10).  The Lord’s grace and goodness are like springs of water to satisfy us in the desert.  Isaiah’s beautiful imagery remind us that as we drink water daily to sustain our physical bodies, we should also turn to the waters of salvation by which the Lord offers to give us spiritual life.