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This waterfall at Rock City near Chattanooga, Tennessee looks beautiful from a distance, but when you get close, you realize these falls are actually man-made. 

This man-made waterfall reminds me of a verse written by the prophet Jeremiah warning God’s people about two things they were doing wrong: they had walked away from the “spring of living water” AND they were relying instead on cisterns they had dug for themselves (Jeremiah 2:13). 

Now this seems weird until you understand the symbolism. 

See, the “spring of living water” is a picture of God. This makes sense when you consider that for the Israelites living in the desert, a water spring was not just refreshing, it was life-giving! In a world that was often harsh, difficult and dry, God represented this life-giving water. 

But His followers were walking away from Him and, instead, were relying on a man-made cisterns of water for their security. How often is this still true today? 

We look for meaning and life in things we make for ourselves—our career, our skills and talents, our bank balance, our relational status, or our material possessions. But these man-made things do not bring real life. As theologian Ray Vanderlaan says, “Life is only bearable and meaningful when we rely on living water.” Only God gives life meaning.

So, where will you find your security and meaning today—from God or from man-made things?

For reflection:

But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life. — John 4:14