Cool Water in the Desert

Which is the happiest camel?  The one who lives near the oasis?  Or the one who lives a long way away?  I want to suggest the one who lives closest.  Each of them spend time in the chaos of the desert.  Extremely hot days.  Bitterly cold nights.  Sand storms.  Dust storms.  And when there’s no sand or dust storms it’s so, so dry!  It seems to me, to have easy access to the long cool drink and shady trees of an oasis is the place to be.

I remember the story of Jesus in a desert place, chatting to a lady drawing water from the well.  He mentioned having access to ‘living’ water.  In fact, everyone who drinks the water from the well will get thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water he gives them will never thirst.  Interesting.  If there’s an oasis where we never get thirsty and always have protection from the chaos of the world, would we choose to live close or far away?

In Australia we have much freedom.  Among many other things, largely we have freedom to choose where, or at the very least, how we live.  We also have spiritual freedom.  In the spiritual, there remains a promise that God will lead his people to springs of living water and will wipe every tear from their eyes (Revelation 7:17).  This is the ‘spiritual’ water Jesus spoke of.

Another ‘freedom’ we have is freedom of choice.  We can choose to live in the chaos without escape.  Or we can choose to live by the oasis.

“The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.  He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul.”
Psalm 23