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Have you ever tasted seawater?
Having grown far from the sea, I knew that seawater was salty, but I had not anticipated just how salty it would be when I first tasted it in 2010 in Mombasa. I remember thinking, What? The sea is huge, with abundant water, but no amount of it can ever quench my thirst!
I later learned that 97% of all the water on the planet is saltwater, leaving only 3% as freshwater, unequally distributed among billions of people.
If there is anything we can learn from the abundance of undrinkable seawater, it is that the abundance of a thing does not guarantee that it will meet the specific needs of people.
In John chapter 6, we see a display of Jesus’ miraculous signs. From feeding five thousand people to walking on water, it had become undeniable that Jesus was special, attracting a massive following across territories. But they were in for a shock when Jesus declared that he was the bread of life, comparing himself to the manna from heaven, and causing many to abandon him as a result (v. 60).
As Jesus turned to his disciples, asking if they were also leaving, Simon Peter said, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” In a sea of voices, options, complaints, and suggestions, Peter and the other close disciples had found a fountain of life.
In John 7, in the midst of a controversy about who Jesus was, Jesus refers to Scripture to remind people that whoever believed in him, out of them would flow rivers of living water (v. 38). Jesus gives the promise of his Spirit, who will be the source of living water.
Jesus says living water will flow!
Meaning, the disciples will only have to be channels or conduits of that living water.
When Jesus said, “It is written,” every single one of his listeners knew exactly what Scripture he was referring to and what authority it carried. A source of wisdom, authority, and reverence.
In 2026, many years of accumulated knowledge and the multiplication of preachers and teachers have saturated the world with things to know. The acceleration of AI over the past few years has, if anything, exponentially increased this “production” of knowledge and blurred the source of authority behind it.
Where Jesus said, “It is written,” we can now say, “It is generated!”
However, just like seawater is abundant but cannot quench thirst, the abundance of accumulated knowledge and the new “disposable” knowledge that can be generated and thrown away only increases the need for a genuine source of wisdom.
As servants of God, our mandate is to show that the call of Jesus is a call to a way of life, which is manifested through the deeds of his people acting on his word.
We are called people of faith. But what does that really mean?
It means acting because “he says so.”
Just as Peter threw the net on the other side of the boat because of the word of Jesus, or walked on water because of his word, we are, more than ever before, called to discern his word and serve as conduits of his divine wisdom.
And while access to knowledge, information, and Bible commentaries has been democratized and highly distributed over the years, interpretation and understanding of meaning have never been so direly needed as they are in this day and age.
My experience with seawater in Mombasa is a reminder that an abundance of water is not necessarily the answer to a thirsty person. But the kind of water is!
The church has faced many challenges throughout history but has always been known as faithful to the Book, “the written Word.” We act because it is written!
However, I believe that beyond the cliché of being people of the Book, wisdom to navigate events and guide people has been the church’s distinguishing and unique role throughout history. So, that wisdom, that refreshing living water, is what the world direly needs today.
We cannot compete on the knowledge side, and we have never been asked to. But we can cleanse ourselves to be channels and conduits of that divine wisdom.
Jesus says living water will flow! Meaning there is no need to command it to flow. Our only call is to be and let it flow.
My prayer for the church is to be that fountain of divine wisdom, and to be consciously so; effortlessly, through the overflowing of the Holy Spirit.
The question I leave you with is this: When people have tasted the 97% of suggestions from the world, can they still say: “This is not satisfying! We need more than that. We need divine wisdom.”
And my prayer is that you will be so attuned to the Holy Spirit that you will allow that fresh living water to quench the thirst of those that the Lord will send your way.
May the life of God flow through you and bless the nations. Amen.
Muhindo Malunga
Brother in Christ
