“Waterfalls in the Desert: What You May Not Know About Israel” by May Patterson
Waterfalls in the Desert: What You May Not Know About Israel
My body was drenched with sweat as I hiked up the ancient trail of the En Gedi gorge with my family. A searing blast of wind felt like someone had just opened a hot oven door in a sweltering kitchen. The Bible refers to this as a “sun-scorched” land. That pretty much sums it up. The Judean Desert is more lifeless than I realized. Many desert plants can’t even live here. Here I am at nearby Masada with my son, Will. We hiked both Masada and En Gedi in a single exhausting day.
En Gedi is a hidden canyon offering needed rest from the blistering sun and sand. It is a small winding sliver of life in a deadly region. Dotted artfully with green clumps of grass and small trees, this tiny oasis stands in stark contrast to the Dead Sea nearby.
En Gedi is more than just a winding stream–it is actually a series of waterfalls in the desert. It’s strange because there is nothing green around it for miles. The spring of En Gedi flows down toward the sea in a land where there is literally no water.
We hiked the rocky, climbing trail to David’s 3 waterfalls. The first waterfall was filled with schoolgirls on a field trip who obviously were as as hot as I was. They actually climbed into the spring, uniforms and all, to cool off. Their sheer joy of reaching the refreshing water in such a dry barren place is evident:
I was tempted to join them, but we decided to keep moving. At the second waterfall, the crowds had dwindled. Shady overhanging grasses and moss lined the edge of the stream and the water was surprisingly cool. I couldn’t help but wade right in myself.
My first dip in an oasis spring:
By the time we hiked all the way to the third and most dramatic waterfall, we were so hot we just stood under it. Here is my daughter, Caroline, cooling off:
David found the streams of En Gedi to be as refreshing as we did. I imagine he showered in this same waterfall, too, while he hid here from King Saul. This tiny, secluded canyon sheltered David from the deadly heat and a murderous king. When Saul heard David was hiding here, he came with 3,000 soldiers to hunt David down and kill him. (1 Sam. 24)
Three thousand men after one man…David probably felt like the entire world was after him. I’m sure it seemed like life couldn’t get worse. David’s anxious soul needed rest and renewal. He found God’s comfort or “living water” for his soul at En Gedi.
Maybe you feel like the entire world is coming after you right now. Maybe your life feels a bit…parched.
You may be stuck in awful circumstances. Your soul may be tired or fearful. The same protection and refreshment of the soul that David found is available to you. When we seek and find God, we find an “oasis” for our souls.
To David, En Gedi became a physical symbol of spiritual refreshment. His time there inspired him to write these words:
O God, you are my God; I earnestly search for you. My soul thirsts for you; my whole body longs for you in this parched and weary land where there is no water (Ps. 63:1)
Our souls are just as thirsty for God, as our body is for water. Yet, it is so easy to forget to make time every day for Him. David sought the Lord at En Gedi and his soul was satisfied:
My soul will feast and be satisfied, and I will sing glad songs of praise to you. (Ps. 63:5)
We can find this same kind of soul-satisfaction, too. Maybe Jesus even had David at En Gedi in mind when He said:
“If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.” John 7:37
Maybe Jesus had you and me in mind as well.
When we seek after God and find Him, we experience this same kind of shelter and refreshment. It’s as if we drink from a spiritual oasis spring.Sometimes we have to be still and wait for God (that’s hard for me). Sometimes we must go to His sanctuary to connect. Other times, we may have to diligently seek God in prayer until we find Him. But if we keep on looking for God, we will find Him (Prov. 8:17) and be blessed (Heb. 11:6)
Drawing near to God gives our thirsty souls living water in the form of:
Shelter.
Renewal.
Strength.
Sounds pretty good. Maybe you have experienced this sense of spiritual oasis, already. If so, keep going there to drink. If not, I encourage you to start seeking after God today—especially if you are in a desert time–His refreshment is nearer than you might think. Don’t miss the blessing!
To learn more about this curious practice of seeking and finding God again and again, please check out, A Time to Seek.
*Interesting Fact: Multiple caves are sprinkled throughout the canyon walls of En Gedi. These were the caves that David and his mighty men lived in as they hid from King Saul.
This post is part one of a series on Israel. If you have been there, I’d love to hear what was meaningful to you. Please email me or comment below.
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