Sunset on the Missouri River in Sioux City, Iowa on October 31, 2018 from my hotel room…it was a sunset that I wrote about in my journal. The colors seemed to get better and more vibrant with each passing moment, leaving me in awe of a colorful sky. While I am in the state of Iowa, across the river is Nebraska and a few miles upstream is South Dakota.
This area and all of the surrounding states have struggled with some of the worst flooding in a century this year. Even now, the river continues to be just below the flood stage and this past week saw another big winter storm with a great deal of snow that caused havoc for recovery efforts. I continue to include these areas and the people who are affected in my prayers everyday.
How can water be such a life-giver at one time, but be a life stealer in another?
Water is life. We need water to survive and so does every living thing. Water flows in a river calmly like this picture of the Missouri River and can be used in a bath tub to help a person unwind from a day filled with stress. A river can also have rapids and provide great beauty as it runs through a waterfall. It still provides a method of transportation for goods to be shared with those downstream on great rivers like the Mississippi. A river can be sacred, like the Ganges and gets used in spiritual practices like washing of feet and hands. And as it has done this year, a river can flood and cause loss of life for farm animals and people.
On this Sunday that commences Holy Week, I wanted to share several very different styles of songs on the spirituality of a river. In each of these songs, the music shares a hope when all seemed lost. That is something I will take with me into Holy Week and I hope you do too. Hope in our darkest times…
The River sung by Garth Brooks
“Too many times we stand aside
And let the waters slip away
‘Til what we put off ’til tomorrow
Has now become today
So don’t you sit upon the shoreline
And say you’re satisfied
Choose to chance the rapids
And dare to dance the tide.”
“I walk down to the river
Where the troubles, they can’t find me
Let the waters there remind me
The sun will be there when we wake
I walk down to the river
Though I might not understand it
It’s not always as we planned it
But we grow stronger when we break
So I walk down to the river…”
Down by the Riverside sung by Playing for Change
Ol’ Man River sung by Paul Robeson
Shared by Marcie Doll
If you would like to lend a hand or make a donation to the continued disaster in the Midwest, PBS Newshour shared the following resources: Organizations that need our help and provide flood relief services. And please continue to pray for all of our brothers and sisters in the Midwest.