ONE WEEK OF WATER

“You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water.” // Psalm 63:1

“As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.” // Psalm 42:1-2

“For I want you to know, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ.” // 1 Corinthians 10:1-3

Why Engage It?

This is a great form of fasting – it may feel more accessible if you don’t have a lot of experience with fasting, or it may present new opportunities if you’re already accustomed to other forms of fasting. In saying no to drinking anything other than water, we allow ourselves to reflect on the importance of water in the world and in Scripture.

For some of us, water may seem mundane when compared to all the coffee, tea, soda, juice, milk, or alcohol we can choose from. This practice will remind us that we don’t actually need these other drinks to survive, but we do need water, and God gives us what we need. Like all disciplines, sometimes the physical self-discipline alone provides the lesson we need within our spiritual life. This is why we invite God into these practices with us rather than trying to do them alone!

How to Practice It

This practice will be harder for some than others. Many of us can’t imagine going without our daily drinks for a whole week. And if you’re a coffee or tea drinker who’s never gone off caffeine, you may even experience some caffeine headaches the first few days. We encourage you to invite God into the practice at the beginning of the week, and then find a way to continue inviting him in throughout the week. Perhaps every time you take a drink of water (or are thirsting for something else), pray one the scriptures below:

“I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you.” // Psalm 63

“My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.” // Psalm 42

“Lord, give me the spiritual drink that comes from Christ our Rock.” // Inspired from 1 Corinthians 10

“My cup overflows.” // Psalm 23

“Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” // John 4