Earth is the only planet we know of that has a supply of liquid water. Other planets in our solar system have tiny amounts of water, usually in the form of ice. Surely it is no accident that Earth has so much water? God created the world as a home for us, and He knew we would need lots of water!

Water can exist in three forms: as a gas (water vapour), as a solid (ice), or as a liquid. You can see all three in the photo (above) — in the clouds, the iceberg and the sea. When water is heated it produces steam. We see this when a kettle is boiled. The power of steam can be used to drive machines, such as the railway engine (below)..

In time, many lakes and ponds would turn to solid ice, and fish and other creatures that live in the water would die. But because of the special way water behaves, ice forms on the surface , acting like a blanket to keep the water below much warmer. Surely water must have been designed to behave in this special way? It’s no accident!

About one billion people in the world don’t have clean water. Many have to walk miles every day to collect water, often from dirty water-holes (right) where animals also drink. This causes disease and death. In fact, around 14,000 people die every day from drinking dirty water, many of them children. Thousands more are made seriously ill. So what can we do? First off all, we must do all we can to save water. Then we can help those who are working to provide clean water for those who don’t yet have it. See the websites below to find out more.

WATER — A PRECIOUS LIQUID!
Think of all the things we use water for, apart from drinking it: cleaning our teeth, washing our hands, bathing and showering, washing clothes and dishes, cooking, flushing the toilet, watering plants. The list seems endless. Most of us only have to turn on a tap to get all the water we need. And it has been through a long process to make it clean and pure. Water is very good at dissolving things. If you fill a glass to the brim with water, then pour sugar or salt into it, the glass will not overflow. This is why it’s important not to allow harmful chemicals to get into rivers and oceans. Most of the water on earth is in the sea, and too salty to drink. The salt can be removed, but this costs a lot of money. So saving fresh water, and making sure people can use it has always been important. In many parts of the world large lakes (reservoirs) have been built to store water, and pipelines laid to take it to drier areas. The Romans were very good at finding ways to move water around. They built canals, with bridges called aqueducts to carry them across valleys. The one in the photo below is at Pont du Gard, France. Built around 19BC it is 49 meters (160 feet) high and 275 meters (900 feet) long. It carried 5 million gallons (20,000 cubic meters) of water every day from springs to the city of Nimes 31 miles (50 km) away!

There is another kind of thirst, the thirst in our souls — that part of us that will never die. Ordinary water can’t satisfy this thirst. When God created us, He gave us souls as well as bodies, so that we can really know God and have His life in us. The Bible tells us that the first people to be created disobeyed God, and became separated from Him. We have all done the same, and our sin cuts us off from the life of God. God loves us all and wants us to know Him, so He came to us in the Person of Jesus, who died and rose again so that we can receive God’s forgiveness and live for ever with Him. People try to satisfy their spiritual thirst in many ways, but only Jesus can give us what He called “living water”. He promised: “Whoever drinks the water I give will never be thirsty again.” (John 4: 14).

"Our World" is our quarterly creation paper for children. It is sent out on a donation basis. The papers must be freely distributed, not sold. Why not distribute ' Our World’ to the children in your family, church, or fellowship? Back issues available — ask for details.

Below are some of the contents of issue No. 96

We use it every day, and even waste it. We couldn’t live without it. But do we realise just how wonderful water is, and how fortunate we are to have so much of it?

When water cools it behaves differently than almost every other liquid. Most liquids contract (get smaller) when they cool. Water does, too — until it gets near freezing-point (0o C). — then it starts to expand (get larger). That’s why water pipes sometimes burst in cold weather. If water behaved like other liquids then, when it froze, ice would sink to the bottom.

MANY people believe that in the beginning the earth was a red-hot ball, but in the Bible, God — who created it — tells us: “The earth was empty and had no form. Darkness covered the ocean, and God’s Spirit was moving over the water.” (Genesis 1: 2). So our world began as a cool, water-covered globe before God began to create life. In the New Testament we read, “God spoke and made heaven and earth. He made the earth from water and with water.” (2 Peter 3: 5). We also read, “Then the world was flooded and destroyed with water.” (2 Peter 3: 6). This was at the time of the flood when Noah built the ark. After the flood, God promised that the world would never be covered in water again. Water plays an important part in our climate, because it cools down and warms up very slowly. As the seasons change, the sea temperature changes only gradually . Our human bodies contain a lot of water — about 60% of our body weight. That’s why a cold drink cools us down, and why it’s important to drink enough liquid. We lose water from our bodies when we use the toilet, and when we sweat. On a very hot day, our bodies could lose nearly a litre (2 pints) of water an hour by sweating, and unless we drink enough our bodies would soon dehydrate (dry out) and most people would die within a few days. Our blood is mostly water, too. So we need to make sure we drink enough, and although you may enjoy soft or fizzy drinks they are not a substitute for good, clean water. Water has been called “the fountain of life.” How true!

OUR BLUE PLANET
Nearly ¾ (70%) of our planet is covered with water. This is why it is sometimes called the “blue planet.” Most of this water is in the oceans — the huge Pacific Ocean contains one third of this water. There is also a lot of frozen water in the polar icecaps and mountain glaciers, and a small amount in lakes, ponds and rivers.