A Refreshing River In The Desert

TO READ: Isaiah 32:1-8

Each one will be like a shelter from the wind and a refuge from the storm, like streams of water in the desert and the shadow of a great rock in a parched land.

Isaiah 32:2

A river in the desert. What could be more desirable?

When we think of water, we think of the Holy Spirit. Jesus said that “those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life” (John 4:14). He also said, “Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart’” (John 7:37-38). By this, he meant the Spirit.

In myself, if Christ by his Spirit does not live in me, I have no power to refresh people who thirst inwardly for eternal things. But if he does indeed live within my heart, I can become a river in the desert, bringing the water of life to those who are thirsty.

When I first came to Christ and had my own needs met and my inner thirst satisfied, I realized my friends were thirsty too. I prayed I would become a river.

One of my best friends asked me to play tennis. She knew something had happened to me and was curious. In between “love-fifteen” and “love-thirty,” she asked me to explain my new satisfaction. I had the great joy of diverting some of the living water over her! Before we got to game point, Jesus had won, and she was as drenched with delight as I was. She was well on the way to becoming a refreshing river too!