12 December 2025
Well Water Wisdom
Reflections from John T. W. Harmon
“God is with Us”
Though its waters rage and foam, and though the mountains tremble at its tumult. The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold. ~ Psalm 46: 3 – 4
Beloved,
The arrival of Advent this year reminded me of the many joyful experiences I have had with water, as well as the few painful encounters that left me devastated. Yet, the anticipated coming of Jesus Christ and the assurance that God is always with us make Advent a season of true hopefulness.
Water has been a constant companion and integral part of my life and spiritual practice. The sea, rivers, lakes, creeks, rain, and the sounds they make are an invitation to remember God’s presence, which is always seeking to remake us into our true and better selves.
This is not an accident of birth. Each of us is born into a place meant to shape and give meaning to our lives. It is our first act toward belonging; our entrance into the visible world; the place of our soul’s incarnation. From there, our lives find authentic expression in the ways we welcome, embrace, and remember all that is beyond us – everyone and everything.
Like many of you, I was born in a sacred place. My birthplace is just two blocks from the Atlantic Ocean. I was baptized in a church one block from my home and that sea. While water is essential for life, it also fascinates me – intrinsically beautiful, deeply comforting, and shockingly terrifying all at once. It is everywhere, even in the driest and harshest of places, always inviting, reminding, and teaching us the fundamental wisdom of life.
From my ancestors, I have learned much about water, but two lessons particularly resonate with our relationship with God, the world, and one another. The first is that water takes the path of least resistance. Second, the sea does not keep what is given to it.
This year, our collective experience of the destructive power of water stunned and silenced our imagination as we approached the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. The months that followed were equally troubling. From the devastating flash floods of the Guadeloupe River in Texas last July, which claimed the lives of more than two dozen campers and counselors, to Hurricane Pricilla in Mexico and Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica and Haiti, all instances of tragedy with limited opportunities to rescue the lives lost.
Although we are grateful for the valiant efforts of first responders and rescue workers, there remains a deep longing within the depths of our souls that cries out to God for help while simultaneously acknowledging that God is always with us through our sufferings. Amid my own fear of the dangers and power of water, I often find strength and solace in the psalmist's prayerful reflection in Psalm 46:
“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth be moved, and though the mountains be toppled into the depths of the sea; “Though its waters rage and foam, and though the mountains tremble at its tumult. The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold.” ~ Psalm 46: 1 – 4
Indeed, God is with us. The God of our ancestors, the God of Jacob, is our refuge and home. This is the hope of Advent —the expectation of the God who desires to be with us and within us. The same God whose birth gives meaning to our lives. Advent offers us something worth waiting for, a birth that makes God real and visible to all of us, reminding us that God is present in every person and every part of creation.
Like water that waits to be moved, God is worth waiting for.
With Advent blessings, I am,
Faithfully in Christ,
The Right Reverend John T.W. Harmon
Bishop of Arkansas
