Time In The Desert ... by Yvonne M. Morgan

The Sahara Desert is impressive. When our mission work took us to Kenya, we flew over the Sahara often. It took the plane several hours to cross the massive expanse of the desert. I stared out of the plane window at the desert below for long periods. As I watched, I discovered I could see the sand dunes shifting with the winds. Occasionally, I saw a tiny village among the vast emptiness. I wondered what life must be like in such an isolated spot. Where would I get my groceries, my water, and how would I get around? Still, it was an incredible sight to behold.

The children of Israel wandered through parts of the Sahara Desert for forty years after they left Egypt. We find their story in Exodus in the Old Testament. It became a very trying time for Moses and all the people. Once I saw the Sahara from a plane, I could understand why. The situation worsened after they witnessed the miracles of the parting of the Red Sea, because they wandered for three days without finding any water. Can you imagine walking in the desert for three days without water?

“Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea and they went into the Desert of Shur. For three days they traveled in the desert without finding water.” (Exodus 15:22 NIV)

On one mission trip, we had a layover in Abu Dhabi, a city in the Sahara. As we landed, the pilot informed us it was 120 degrees outside. As we stepped off the plane, the heat immediately felt oppressive, even though it was considered dry heat. So the first thing we purchased was bottled water. And, during the 20-hour layover, we never went anywhere without a water bottle. Just like our water bottle supplied relief for us, God provided relief for the Israelites in the desert, which is why they survived. They would have perished without God’s provisions in the desert.

On another mission trip, we planned a three-day layover in Cairo, Egypt, another city in the Sahara. First, seeing the pyramids and the historical places around town amazed me. Then, I looked across the landscape to see the Pyramids of Giza just beyond the trees and greenery of the city. Next, I saw the Nile River that fed the lush lands along its banks. The river brought life to the area. But what struck me most was that a mile beyond the river placed you back in the Sahara Desert again. It felt like someone drew a line to separate the desert from the fertile land. And the desert is constantly encroaching upon the good land. So, driving the desert back from the city is a constant battle.

These times showed me a lot of similarities in our relationship with Christ. Christ is the river of life that feeds our soul. In our walk of faith, we can wander far away from that river and find ourselves lost in the desert. Sometimes, we can walk in the desert of sin for many years before we find our way back to Christ and His river of life. Those times in the desert can be challenging, just like they were for Israel’s people. We experience extreme thirst, but we thirst for Christ. Sometimes, we experience hunger, but we hunger for the word of God. And other times, we experience isolation, but we long for a restored relationship with Jesus.

Sometimes, we wander in the desert from our choices as we pick the world’s ways instead of Christ’s. But occasionally, God gives us time in the desert to reflect and to provide us with a longing to go deeper into our relationship with Him. Either way, we need to take the time to look to the River of Life when we find ourselves in the desert. Then, return to the source and drink deep from His living waters that bring everlasting life. Just like Jesus told the woman at the well in John 4:13-14 (NIV), “Jesus answered, ‘Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.’”

If this is a time in the desert for you, I pray God will show you the way out and restore your soul with His life-sustaining water.

Yvonne M. Morgan

https://yvonne-morgan.com

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