"The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon." Psalm 92:12.
"See the weary traveler toiling over the hot sand of the desert, with no shelter to protect him from the rays of the tropical sun. His water supply fails, and he has nothing with which to slake his burning thirst. His tongue becomes swollen; he staggers like a drunken man. Visions of home and friends pass before his mind as he believes himself ready to perish. Suddenly he sees in the distance, rising out of the dreary sandy waste, a palm tree, green and flourishing. Hope quickens his pulses; he presses on, knowing that that which gives vigor and freshness to the palm tree will cool his fevered blood and give him renewed life.
"As is the palm tree in the desert--a guide and consolation to the fainting traveler--so the Christian is to be in the world. He is to guide weary souls, full of unrest, and ready to perish in the desert of sin, to the living water. He is to point his fellow men to Him who gives to all the invitation, 'If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.'
"The sky may be as brass, the burning sand may beat about the palm tree's roots and pile itself about its trunk; yet the tree lives on, fresh and vigorous. Remove the sand, and you discover the secret of its life; its roots strike down deep into waters hidden in the earth.
"Thus it is with the Christian. His life is hid with Christ in God. Jesus is to him a well of water, springing up unto everlasting life. His faith, like the rootlets of the palm tree, penetrates beneath the things that are seen, drawing life from the Fountain of life. And amid all the corruption of the world he is true and loyal to God. The sweet influence of Christ's righteousness surrounds him...
"The faces of men and women who walk and work with God express the peace of heaven. They are surrounded with the atmosphere of heaven. For these souls the kingdom of God has begun. They have Christ's joy, the joy of being a blessing to humanity. They have the honor of being accepted for the Master's use; they are trusted to do His work in His name. --In Heavenly Places, page 240.
Song of Solomon, chapter 4, verse 15 (NIV) says "You are a garden fountain, a well of flowing water streaming down from Lebanon."
"It is through personal contact and association that men are reached by the saving power of the gospel. They are not saved as masses, but as individuals. Personal influence is a power. It is to work with the influence of Christ, to lift where Christ lifts, to impart correct principles, and to stay the progress of the world's corruption. It is to diffuse that grace which Christ alone can impart. It is to uplift, to sweeten the lives and characters of others by the power of a pure example united with earnest faith and love...
"The heart that receives the Word of God is not as a pool that evaporates, not like a broken cistern that loses its treasure. It is like the mountain stream, fed by unfailing springs, whose cool, sparkling waters leap from rock to rock, refreshing the weary, the thirsty, the heavy-laden. It is like a river constantly flowing and, as it advances, becoming deeper and wider, until its life-giving waters are spread over all the earth...
"So it is with the true child of God. The religion of Christ reveals itself as a vitalizing, pervading principle, a living, working, spiritual energy. When the heart is opened to the heavenly influence of truth and love, these principles will flow forth again like streams in the desert, causing fruitfulness to appear where now are barrenness and dearth.
"As those who have been cleansed and sanctified through a knowledge of Bible truth engage heartily in the work of soul saving, they will become indeed a savor of life unto life. And as daily they drink of the inexhaustible fountain of grace and knowledge, they will find that their own hearts are filled to overflowing with the Spirit of their Master, and that through their unselfish ministry many are benefited physically, mentally, and spiritually. The weary are refreshed, the sick restored to health, and the sin-burdened relieved. --Prophets and Kings, pp. 232-234; Lift Him Up, page 286-287.
The Christian who cultivates a love for Christ will find joys that well up from the soul like streams in the desert, refreshing and beautifying, bringing gladness, peace, and joy into his own life and into the lives of others.
To everyone who offers himself to the Lord for service, withholding nothing, is given power for the attainment of measureless results. For these God will do great things. He will work upon the minds of men so that, even in this world, there shall be seen in their lives a fulfillment of the promise of the future state.
"The wilderness and the solitary place
shall be glad for them; and the desert
shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose.
It shall blossom abundantly,
and rejoice even with joy and singing;
"The glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it,
The excellency of Carmel and Sharon,
They shall see the glory of the Lord,
And the excellency of our God.
"Strengthen ye the weak hands,
And confirm the feeble knees.
Say to them that are of a fearful heart,
Be strong, fear not; Behold, your God...
"Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,
And the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.
Then shall the lame man leap as an hart,
And the tongue of the dumb sing:
For in the wilderness shall waters break out,
And streams in the desert.
"And the parched ground shall become a pool,
And the thirsty land springs of water...
And an highway shall be there, and a way,
And it shall be called The way of holiness;
The unclean shall not pass over it;
But it shall be for those;
The wayfaring men, though fools,
shall not err therein.
"No lion shall be there,
Nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon,
It shall not be found there;
But the redeemed shall walk there;
And the ransomed of the Lord shall return,
And come to Zion with songs
And everlasting joy upon their heads;
They shall obtain joy and gladness,
And sorrow and sighing shall flee away."
Isaiah 35:1-10.
"As the weary traveler seeks the spring in the desert, and, finding it, quenches his burning thirst, so will the Christian thirst for and obtain the pure water of life, of which Christ is the fountain...We need not seek to quench our thirst at shallow streams; for the great fountain is just above us, of whose abundant waters we may freely drink, if we will rise a little higher in the pathway of faith.
"The words of God are the well-springs of life. As you seek unto those living springs, you will, through the Holy Spirit, be brought into communion with Christ...You will know that Christ is leading you; a divine Teacher is at your side. --Sons and Daughters of God, Page 304-305.
"And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ." 1 Cor. 10:4.
"Christ combines the two types. He is the rock, He is the living water.
"The same beautiful and expressive figures are carried throughout the Bible. Centuries before the advent of Christ, Moses pointed to Him as the rock of Israel's salvation; the psalmist sung of Him as 'my redeemer,' 'the rock of my strength,' 'the rock that is higher than I,' 'a rock of habitation,' 'rock of my heart,' 'rock of my refuge.' In David's song His grace is pictured also as the cool, 'still waters,' amid green pastures, beside which the heavenly Shepherd leads His flock. Again, 'Thou shalt make them,' he says, 'drink of the river of thy pleasures. For with thee is the fountain of life.' And the wise man declares, 'The wellspring of wisdom is as a flowing brook.' To Jeremiah, Christ is 'the fountain of living waters'; to Zechariah, 'a fountain opened...for sin and for uncleanness.'
"Isaiah describes Him as the 'rock of ages,' and 'the shadow of a great rock in a weary land.' And he records the precious promise, bringing vividly to mind the living stream that flowed for Israel: 'When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue faileth for thirst, I the Lord will hear them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them.' 'I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground'; 'in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert.' The invitation is given, 'Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters.' And in the closing pages of the sacred word this invitation is echoed. The river of the water of life, 'clear as crystal,' proceeds from the throne of God and the Lamb; and the gracious call is ringing down through the ages, 'Whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.'" --That I Might Know Him, page 24.
"Christ presents before us true religion. He reverses the decisions of ages, and shows that true knowledge is in direct opposition to the opinions of men. The work of the people of God in the world is to restrain evil, to elevate, to purify, and to ennoble mankind. The principles of kindness and love and benevolence are to uproot every fiber of the selfishness that has permeated all society and corrupted the church. Then the Lord God Omnipotent can reign, and the Spirit of Christ will be an abiding influence in the life. If men and women will open their hearts to the heavenly influence of truth and love, these principles will flow forth again, like streams in the desert, refreshing all, and causing freshness to appear where now are barrenness and dearth. The influence of those who keep the way of the Lord will be as far-reaching as eternity. They will carry with them the cheerfulness of heavenly peace as an abiding, refreshing, enlightening power." --Review and Herald, August 22, 1899 para. 5.
"'In the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert. And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water.' Isa. 35:6, 7. 'Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree.' Isa. 55:13. 'And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein.'" Isa. 35:8. --Review and Herald, July 1, 1915 para. 20.
"And I will make them and the places round about my hill a blessing; and I will cause the shower to come down in his season; there shall be showers of blessing." --Ezekiel 34:26.
There shall be showers of blessing;
This is the promise of love;
There shall be seasons refreshing,
Sent from the Savior above.
Refrain
Showers of blessing,
Showers of blessing we need;
Mercy drops round us are falling,
But for the showers we plead.
There shall be showers of blessing--
Precious reviving again;
Over the hills and the valleys,
Sound of abundance of rain.
There shall be showers of blessing;
Send them upon us, O Lord;
Grant to us now a refreshing;
Come, and now honor Thy word.
There shall be showers of blessing;
O that today they might fall,
Now as to God we're confessing,
Now as on Jesus we call!
--Daniel W. Whittle
Josh, thanks for share this peaceful words.
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