5 results for tag: Streams in the Desert

Streams in the Desert {Part 5}

Streams of Living Water Jesus has an incredible way of bringing things full circle. As He quoted Isaiah 35 to John’s disciples, I wonder if their mind lingered on the next verse and all the texts related to it. The themes of streams and water, need and fulfillment, were not unknown to the Israelites of Jesus’ day. The soul-barrenness from Genesis 3 had only increased and festered until Jesus’ arrival.  In the great exodus from captivity in Egypt, the Israelites doubted God’s provision and grumbled to Him about water (Exodus 17). In the book of Jeremiah, the Lord rebukes faithless Israel: “For my people have committed two evils: ...

Streams in the Desert {Part 4}

Streams  I live in a town with two rivers running through it. New Braunfels, Texas is a hotbed in the summer months for river activities—tubing, kayaking, fishing, waterparks, bathers. It’s quite literally a hot mess in the summer months, when thousands of tourists come seeking relief from the heat and fun in the sun.  One of our rivers is the Comal, which is the ‘shortest fastest’ river in Texas. The wellspring of the river is open to the public, and you can watch as thousands of gallons come forcefully bubbling up, unstoppable and rushing. What I love most is watching the people who watch the spring. They all step back from ...

Streams in the Desert {Part 3}

Quietly Attend I love this word, “Behold.” It’s used often in the Bible. It serves as a signpost. In our language and culture, it would be like a neon sign or writing in all caps; if it were an emoji, it would be something like this: ✋❗.  “Behold” is meant to make us pause. To stop and pay attention to what is about to be communicated. It had to do with quieting people in the presence of someone or some event of importance.  “Behold, your God will come…”  Truly, that is the most important event in all of history. God Himself was coming, as sure as the sun rises. And if we are not careful, we could breeze ...

Streams in the Desert {Part 2}

Behold The sky was slowly waking up, a pale white light rising over the horizon. The clouds shifted from darkness and became awash with color. I gripped my mug of tea a bit tighter, breathing in the mercy that was coming.  For weeks after Gwendolyn went Home, this became my routine. I would wake early (had I even slept?), steep a bag of vanilla rooibos in my travel mug, and walk through the stillness of our camp home toward the river. A new building was under construction, and I would sit on the balcony amidst the tools and sawdust, watching creation wake up and do what it was—tell the glory of the Creator. I was beholding without ...

Streams in the Desert {Part 1}

The Desert It was a suffocating emptiness from which I couldn’t escape. The barrenness of my womb; the silence in her nursery; the bleak look in my husband’s eyes. It was everywhere. Though I was rarely left by myself in those first few days and weeks, I felt unmoored and distant from all who were around me. Life had lost it’s brilliance when her life ended. The guttural cries of the biblical poets echoed my own: “My God, my God! Why have you forsaken me?” -Matthew 27:46 “I am the man who has seen affliction under the rod of his wrath; he has driven and brought me into darkness without any light,” -Lamentations 3:1-2 ...