Springs of Water, Jesus Christ

 

I was reading my new Ensign magazine yesterday for my scripture study.  Just inside the front cover was a beautiful picture similar to this picture of men leading laden camels in silhouette against the desert sky. The caption for the painting was a quote from 1 Nephi 21: 10:

They shall not hunger nor thirst, neither shall the heat nor the sun smite them; for he that hath mercy on them shall lead them, even by the springs of water shall he guide them.  

The thought struck me immediately that God did lead Nephi by springs of water.  One of the most researched possibilities for the Lehi trail is that they followed the Frankincense Trail along the borders of the Arabian Desert.  This was an ancient trail that followed the sources of water.  This was the only viable option for travelers over centuries of time.  The life-giving water was salvation for the travelers and their flocks.  Without it, they could not have survived the brutal deserts of Arabia.

 

We, too, travel a path through a lone and dreary world.  We face dangers and temptations at every turn.  It is part and parcel of our human condition since our first father and mother were cast out of Eden. 

 

I ask myself: where do I find my oasis?  The answer came immediately: my salvation is in the Fountain of Living Water that is Jesus Christ.

 

Nephi's quote Springs of Water from Isaiah at first blush might seem redundant to people who don't live in a desert.  We might ask, "Why do they need to say springs of water.  Of course the springs have water.  That is what a spring is by geological definition."  But in the desert, the springs and wells sometimes run dry.  Likewise the Book of Mormon writers spoke of rivers of water.  Anyone who lives in the desert knows that after a desert thunderstorm, dry desert washes run with water and become rivers.

 

 

 

In my life, I have many times felt that my well has run dry.  When that happens depression and despair can set in.  When I was younger, these dry moments sometimes overwhelmed me.  But as I have matured in my walk with Christ I have gained the faith necessary to be led and fed by Him who is both the Bread of Life and the Living Water.  I don't seek to be like a Christian: I seek to be like Christ.

 

When you face a dry spell, I would encourage you to look at the only source that can save you.  I am sure that Nephi did during his dry spells as he chose to quote Isaiah in his writings:

 

They shall not hunger nor thirst; neither shall the heat nor sun smite them: for he that hath mercy on them shall lead them, even by the springs of water shall he guide them

(Isaiah 49:19)

 

©Gebara Education 2016