Wilderness and Living Water

Keep drinking! This is a phrase that we have heard a thousand times so far on this trip to remind us to stay hydrated, but this morning it took on a deeper meaning for our group. We woke up this morning and opened up our window to see a beautiful sunrise coming over the mountains of Moab across the Salt Sea. It is still surreal to be here and it gets more amazing each day as we discover new sites and hear from God.

Our first experience brought us to Ein-Gedi and it sure was one to remember! As a group, we hiked down a trail which followed a wadi that had a stream of water flowing through bringing life to plants and trees. The sound of flowing water was refreshing to hear for our group as we walked through the hot canyon with the sun baking down on us. Finally we arrived at a waterfall and a small pool of water. We were in the desert and experienced what it felt like to thirst for water. John 7:38 says, "Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, 'Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.'" We may have heard this verse before and knew the concept of living water that Jesus talks about, but when you add the experience of being in a desert, the verse comes to life! Before we left, we had the chance to all get in the water and experience this picture first hand. This was so unifying for our group to do together and something we will remember for years to come! We may be walking through a desert in our lives now or we will be eventually, and as we ran into the cool, refreshing water, we grasped what it felt like to drink from the living water! What a morning!

After hiking back to the bus, we rode to our next experience, Qumran. This is famously know for the site where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered! Here we reflected on the holiness and perfection of the Word of God and learned a little interesting history of the Essene Jews, of whom we give great credit to for the long process of copying biblical texts. This was our last site in the desert, and we remembered the early people of our faith, who faced unexplainable challenges to keep the gospel alive and spread it to the end of the earth. Jesus lived by the Word of God, even quoting it when tempted by Satan in the wilderness. We were challenged to live by and obey the Word of God alone, even when we may be in a desert! That is the living water that gives life and we must keep drinking!

After leaving Qumran, we got on the bus for a 3 hour drive up to Galilee, which for some in our group meant a good nap! In the desert, we met with God, heard from God, and drank the living water that was life-giving. What an amazing past 3 days!