Water in the Desert

What do you think of when you hear the word Egypt?

The Nile. The Pyramids. Pharoahs and ancient cultures and civilizations. Mount Sinai and Israelites wandering. Desert.

Recently, maybe you envision...Demonstrations. Tahrir Square. Fighting. Persecuted Christians.

To say the least, Egypt is a unique place! Egyptians often call it “The Mother of the World” where once their ancient culture thrived and was a center of education, learning, trade, production, Christianity and now Islam. There is a great pride among Egyptians that rests on their ancient history and their continuing contribution to the world...Unfortunately, currently their positive contribution is being overshadowed by continuing political problems.

...But lest you be fooled, Egypt isn't falling apart or in chaos. Instead, they are continuing their movement forward, both politically, socially, in business, and in other ways. God has his hands on this amazing country and it thrives despite the issues. It has never fallen apart like other countries in the region and most of that can be attributed to the 30 million or so Christians who pray and hold vigils constantly. God is faithful and will remain faithful because He loves His people in Egypt...all 80 million of them (whether they know it or not)!

Who would guess it?

Farms in the desert. Out of sand and dust and wind, Egyptians create whole new eco systems. I'm sure that these things happen in other places in the world, though I've never heard about it, but in Egypt I've seen it...and in large areas.

A farm near Minia in central Egypt.

The road between Alexandria and Cairo is desert. It is an area littered with ancient and newer monasteries which have and still are used as places of rest, retreat, prayer and communion with God. These monasteries built wells that went deep. They cultivated the land and farmed animals. The desert became green and remains so until today.

The desert along the road between cities.  If you look in the
distance you can see that there is a farm.

A retreat center surrounded by farmland in the desert between
Cairo and Alexandria in northern Egypt.

This system of hard, back-breaking work continues throughout the deserts of Egypt today. Farmers looking for cheap land or businesses looking to branch out take the opportunity to spread into the desert. It begins with drilling a well. Surprising to me, the wells don't always have to be too deep. There is apparently a water table under a lot of the desert here...a hidden source of life only waiting to be tapped! The water provides the necessarily element to cultivate a farm and provide water to those farming it.

Out of dryness of the desert, persimmons, olives, and other fruits grow. The growth and development doesn't stop there. Once a farm is started, a whole eco system starts to develop. Trees, flowers, and other plants can start to grow if they are initially planted. In addition, the temperatures start to be affected and start to become more moderate. The desert starts to flourish and life begins to grow bringing sustenance to people and animals alike!

A prayer house at a conference center on the road between
Cairo and Alexandria in northern Egypt.

Life flourishing out of nothing.

“Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. The wild beasts will honor me, the jackals and the ostriches, for I give water in the wilderness, rivers in the desert, to give drink to my chosen people, the people whom I formed for myself that they might declare my praise.” (Isa 43:19-21 ESV)

Full of grace, God continues His work in the desert. The area between Alexandria and Cairo remains a place of rest, prayer, etc. for the many Christians who attend retreats among the many conference centers that have popped up between the old and new monasteries.

A walkway overgrown with beautiful flowers
at a conference center in the desert between
Cairo and Alexandria in northern Egypt.

What a picture this is for our lives! Sometimes we envision the path to Jesus' life-sustaining water to be far away or beyond reach. Sometimes we experience it and other times it's elusive. The hope that we have, though, is that it's not so far to the source of life as we sometimes feel it is....It's as far as a little prayer. Maybe a prayer of desperation or a prayer of need or just a prayer we say offhand, but in a prayer, we touch the One who drills the well, brings the water, and cultivates the life. He's never far off and always willing to step in and give us that drink of living water.

“Jesus said to her, 'Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.'" (Joh 4:13-14 ESV)

Oh, how sometimes I forget this Truth! If I but just ask, He will provide! If I am willing to follow, obey, and spend time with Him, the well will become easier to find and access because I will know the Source! May He cultivate this Truth deep in my heart so that I can remain rooted in Him at all times and not only those times I'm desperate for it.

May our faithful Father continue to bring life to the barren places, both physically and spiritually no matter what the outward situation may seem like...whether it be in Egypt or in my heart.