Water and shade
by Tom Brennen
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When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue is parched with thirst, I the Lord will answer them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them (Isaiah 41:17).
As I read this verse, I cannot help but think of my time as a missionary living in Egypt.
Australians and Egyptians have a great deal in common regarding water. There is a scarcity of it, and it is a resource that needs to be managed carefully. While our water situation in Australia calls states into conflict, the water situation in Egypt calls countries into conflict. The main water source, the Nile, flows through Burundi, Tanzania, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Uganda, Sudan, Ethiopia and South Sudan.
We all rely on this precious resource for life. Without water, we perish. In drought, our crops and animals perish. Without water, we are without life.
But the desert traveller needs one more thing for life – shade. In our verse today, God provides this in the form of cedars, acacia, pines and cypress.
And after the Lord has provided the traveller with water and shade, he encourages them to see, know, consider and understand that, through God’s hand, all of this was created.
The pattern that we have seen in our four-day journey through Isaiah is the reminder of the smallness of humanity, the greatness of God, our inability to provide for ourselves, and God’s ability to give in abundance. At the start of our devotional journey this week, we celebrated the provision of a Saviour born to a sinful people who could not save themselves. Christ was the answer to a parched and helpless people.
As we consider the problems of this life – from the smaller considerations of what career one should follow to the larger ones of solving the water-sharing crisis in the Nile River countries – let us sit in the shade that God provides, drink the water he offers, and allow the Spirit to guide our conversations and collaborations.
The Lord is indeed our Lord, and he will not forsake us.
Lord, as we seek to solve the problems of our world, may we sit in your shade and recall your wisdom. Amen.
Tom Brennen is currently serving as principal of Lakeside College, a Prep to Year 12 Lutheran school located in Pakenham, Victoria. He has served as a missionary in the Middle East and has a passion for bringing Lutheran thinking to issues of social justice. As an educator, he is dedicated to ensuring a transformative Lutheran education is accessible to all families across Australia. Tom holds a Master of Education from Australian Lutheran College, a Graduate Certificate in Educational Leadership from Australian Catholic University and undergraduate degrees in arts, music and education. As an active academic, Tom has written and presented on many diverse topics, such as worship in Christian schools, the interaction between social justice and Lutheran schools, leading staff professional development and cross-cultural schooling.
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