Soul Drought

Recently, as I was thinking about the severe drought that has plagued the Mid-West of the United States, it brought to mind the dryness of the place of my Parallel Journey.  Except for my one-time water torture experience, it was a totally waterless place.  The little bird-like “Two-ers”, carrying their empty cups (see my March 18, 2012, post, “The Gallery”), were intended only to intensify the torment of the desperately thirsty residents.

To me it is no accident or mere coincidence that there are abundant parallels between the physical and the spiritual realms.   The Master Designer planned it that way.  What we see and experience in the physical world holds truth and is intended to teach and remind us of spiritual realities that we cannot observe with the human senses. 

When we lived in Panama, we became accustomed to having two seasons of the year:   rainy and dry.  Usually beginning around Christmas time, dry season is always a pleasant time of the year with lower humidity, beautiful skies and refreshing evening breezes. 

But as dry season wears on, the ground eventually becomes hard and cracked open by the intense tropical sun.   The breezes stop and wild fires break out everywhere.  The air is constantly tainted with the haze and smell of smoke and often showers of small black ashes come floating down.  (Beware of wearing white clothing!)  Watching a fire rip through the tall, once lush, grass near a housing area can be an awesome and scary experience!  By season’s end every creature and plant, and even the ground itself, seem to be crying out for the rains to return.  It’s amazing how quickly everything recovers and turns green again when the refreshing rains finally do arrive.

The dryness of the weather and its effects on our environment, I believe, are meant to teach us about the inner dryness of our souls that only the Living Water can satisfy.   When Jesus asked the woman of Samaria for a drink of water from the well of Sychar, he had real physical thirst but used the occasion to make her aware of the thirst within her soul.  He told her that He would give her water that would not leave her thirsty again. 

At first she missed the point, thinking he meant some magical kind of physical water, and wanted it so she could stop carrying that heavy water jar to and from the well every day.   But when the conversation turned to the long series of broken relationships which she had had, her unfulfilled quest for inner happiness was exposed.  The drought in her soul was revealed.  And when she realized who He was and believed, she ran to tell others who came to Jesus and also believed.  Read the full account in the Gospel of John, Chapter 4.

Just as the drought in the Mid-West and the dry season in Panama can only be quenched by soaking rains, only the “living water” that Jesus gives can bring life to and satisfy the deep longings of the human heart.   No pleasure, position, possession, popularity, human relationship, religion or creed can do the job, only a trusting personal relationship with Him as Lord of our lives will do.  As He said in John 4:14, “…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.”


Let us know; let us press on to know the Lord; his going out is sure as the dawn; he will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth. – Hosea 6:3

Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’  -- John 7:38

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,  for they shall be satisfied.  – Matthew 5:6