The Oasis

An oasis is defined as a small fertile or green area in a desert region, usually having a spring or well. It is a place of rest, relief, and rejuvenation in the middle of the scorching heat and seemingly endless miles of desert terrain.

Imagine that we are all traveling through the desert of life. There are times when we are uncertain about the direction, desperate for hope, experiencing hardships, or hung up on guilt from past decisions. What we need most in these moments is an Oasis full of grace, joy, hope, and peace. Just like a desert traveler, we need something to help us persevere in the journey through the desert.

In John 4, we find Jesus on a journey of his own. He had just left Judea and was on his way to Galilee because opposition was growing from the religious leaders. When he got to Samaria, he was tired and sat down by a well to take a break. As he was sitting, a woman came to the well to draw water beside him. This woman was the definition of an outcast. She was a woman in a society where women were both demeaned and disregarded, a race traditionally despised by Jews, and was living in the regret of sinful past decisions.

Then Jesus asked her for a drink. “What do you mean give you a drink?” she questioned, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” Jesus replied, “If you knew the gift of God and who it was that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” But she didn’t understand what He was talking about so she asked, “But you have nothing to draw with and the well is too deep. Where can we get this living water you speak of?” Jesus answered “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (John 4:7-14)

The woman thought Jesus was talking about natural water but he was actually talking about something much greater. He was telling her that a relationship with Him could provide living water that would wash her from her sin, satisfy her soul, and give her eternal life. In the same way, sometimes we may think we see an oasis, but instead, it is just a mirage. These are ways that the devil will convince us that the things of this world will satisfy us like only the presence of God can do. It is his schemes and tactics to confuse us and get us off course.

For me, I tend to think I am fulfilled when I have control over my life, when everything is going right, or when there are no problems. The problem with that, however, is that there are so many things that happen outside of my control. For example, during the covid lockdown of 2020, I was unemployed for over 6 months and I applied to over 60 jobs. I was rejected by all of them. In those moments, I was forced to make a decision. Do I run to the temporary pleasures of the world to comfort myself? Or do I continue praying and trust that even though it is outside my control, God will lead me in the right direction?

What defined that desert season of my life wasn’t the fact that I finally found a job, but the fact that my faith and trust in God was strengthened. I now know that we can’t put our hope in any temporary mirage of this world that can be taken away in an instant. In fact, all of the money, fame, influence, and power in the world will not satisfy the deep longing in our soul for contentment. The only thing that will ever be able to quench our thirst, is continuously coming back to the living water found in the Oasis.

The Bigger Picture: The presence of God is where we find satisfaction, grace, joy, peace, and rest in the desert of life’s hardships.