A Parched Dry Land (1)

Have you ever felt dry inside? You know what I'm talking about, right? That sense that the joy, the anticipation, the zest you once had for life has completely evaporated. Poof – gone! Your spirit within you is parched, bone dry, brittle. I think we've all been there at some point. What happened? What went wrong? How am I going to survive this? The Namib is one of the driest deserts in the world, stretching some 2,000 kilometres along the Atlantic coast of southwestern Africa, from Angola in the north through what is today Namibia, and on down to South Africa. During WWII, German geologist and adventurer Henno Martin fled into the Namib with his friend Hermann Korn to avoid internment. They took refuge in a remote canyon where, not surprisingly, their water ran out. Dying of thirst, hallucinating even, with cracked lips and blistered feet, Martin later recalled how they knelt and prayed. Suddenly, the heavens opened up. A desert downpour filled their containers, revived their bodies and saved their lives. Can you imagine their joy? You can just see them dancing in the rain. Isaiah 41:17 The poor and needy look for water, but they cannot find any. Their tongues are dry with thirst. I, the LORD, will answer their prayers. I, the God of Israel, will not leave them to die. When you, one day (perhaps even today), find yourself thirsting in your own wilderness, there's only one thing you need to do. Pray. Pour out your heart to this God who loves you so much that He sent His only Son, Jesus, to suffer and die for you. Because even in the driest place on earth … God still sends His rain. That's how you'll get through it. That's how you'll not only survive, but thrive! Because that's God's Word. Fresh … for you … today.