Water in the desert

Only God’s provision, His deliverance, will satisfy my hungry, thirsty soul.  God provides manna – bread – for life in the desert.  He also furnishes water for my parched throat.  God leads the children of Israel into the desert, they travel for three days without finding water.  The water they did find was too bitter to drink.  The Lord showed Moses a piece of wood which Moses threw into the water and the water became sweet. 

Sometimes my life feels too bitter to swallow.  The disappointments and hurts become overwhelming.  I become desperately thirsty, God brings the wood to mind – the cross.  At the foot of the cross I remember how Jesus body was bruised and his blood ran freely to purchase this wandering child.  The water that flows is sweet because God is good and His love endures forever.  Deeper into the desert God leads.

“O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.”  Psalm 63:1

So I seek the Lord by walking across the chapters of Exodus with the children of Israel.  It wasn’t long before they were in need of water again.  Where God led them to a place where there was no water for the children of Israel to drink.  The people were ready to stone Moses, again God is faithful this time bringing water from the rock for His people.

Jesus said, “Whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst…the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”  John 4:14  

It is not far down the path when I am in need of water again.   Needy and longing for more of Him to fill all of me.  Moses struck the rock for the children of Israel, Jesus was struck for me bringing forth eternal water.  Water that would quench my thirst and well up in me becoming a spring of life for others because of His Spirit at work in me. 

“For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea.  They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea.  They all ate the same spiritual food  and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ.”  1 Corinthians 10:1-4

Jesus is bread and water

the wood and the rock

provision in the desert

all  hope, all trust

everything

placed on the One who

supplies and satisfies

the hungry and thirsty.

___________________________________________________

This song has been playing through my head for days.  Even though this desert is a place God has led me to, I find myself humming the chorus often.

Streams of Life by Ginny Owens

How many days, Lord, have I walked in this wilderness?
A thirsty pilgrim with no water to drink.
And this barren place is making me crazy,
But as I wander on, I am forced to think.
Seems like I have spent so much time searchin'
In a dry and weary land where there's no Truth.
But I think I'm finally realizin',
That my only hope of water is the well that comes from You, So-
Chorus:
Rain down Your love upon me
Pour out Your mercy on me
Please won't You take me to Your springs of life
'Cause I'm dying for deliverance, only You can save me,
I'm waitin', won't You take me,
To Your springs of life.
Oh God, You are my God,
And my spirit seeks You,
But my flesh has failed You time and time again.
And now I've chosen this desert when Your love was waitin',
But Your stubborn child longs to understand-
So I'll not waste another minute searchin'
In a dry and weary land where there's not truth,
Oh, I think I'm finally realizin'
That my only hope of water is the well that comes from You, So