“The water I give will be like a spring flowing inside you;
bringing eternal life." ~ John 4:14
Buster and Ryan earned this
vacation. Hard work, disciplined saving
and a quest for a place not yet known to them led them to Arizona for new
adventures.
After a day sightseeing, they rented a small Jeep and headed
into to the desert. It wasn’t long for
the cityscape turned to a bone dry basin of spiny cholla cacti. As far as a flicker could fly, everything was
being roasted and sautéed.
Soon their parched wilderness became monotonous. When they turned to drive back, the Jeep
overheated and died. What had started as
a whimsical journey quickly became a life threatening situation.
With nightfall approaching, they stayed in the vehicle,
praying someone would find them. They
learned two things about the desert that night.
First, its climate is bipolar; a paradox of heat and
cold. By day the desert sun is
intense. By night though, it’s cold is
bone chilling. No respite – no mercy!
As the second day began, they tried licking the condensation
off the Jeep. Searching unsucessfully for dew covered
leaves, they eventually resorted to chewing plants to extract
small amounts of liquid from them.
As a third day wore on, they hid beneath the Jeep to escape
the sun’s intensity. They were nearly
driven mad by thirst, searching the horizon in vain for any form of
rescue. Late that day, Buster claimed he
saw car lights off in the distance and took chase. It turned out to be either a mirage or
taillights as the car drove away.
By day 4, the duo was desperately close to heat stroke. In a last dich effort for survival, Ryan set
out on foot to find help. Dehydrated and
exhausted, his trek lasted less than a mile before he collapsed in the sand.
Sometime later, a military Humvee saw his frail body lying
by the road and laid him in the back seat.
They massaged his face with water and rubbed oil on his lips, gradually
preparing his body to accept some hot sugar-laden tea (to keep him from gulping
it down).
Unfortunately, Buster wasn’t so lucky. They found his emaciated corpse next to the
Jeep; his body no longer able to cool itself.
There is no more fundamental drive than the one extreme
thirst produces. Three to four days is
the limit of human endurance without water.
Most of us will never experience the terror of extreme dehydration, but
we will all go through spiritual
droughts.
If you’ve had a spiritual dry spot and have moved past it –
Praise God! If however, you’re in the clutches
of one now – there’s help. Read His Word
and pray regularly. Trust Him through
this.
He loves you dearly and will never abandon you. These times help perfect our faith, improve
our character, strengthen our walk and prepare us for greater tasks ahead.
Dear Lord, teach me to shed tears of joy for
each challenge conquered. That’s all for
today. Amen
