An Oasis in the Desert - Encouragement Café - May 6, 2016

An Oasis in the Desert by Carolyn Dale Newell

Friday, May 6, 2016

Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Phillip, saying, Arise and go toward the south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.  This is desert.  Acts 8:26 NKJV

Sometimes the unforeseen happens.  The diagnosis which shatters your world.  The phone call nobody wants.  Your marriage.  Your career.  Your kids.  It just wasn’t what you expected.

Let’s look at Phillip, a big-time evangelist.  He preached the Gospel in Samaria, healed the lame and cast out demons.  Many souls were saved.

Why would God send one of His best men to a desert?  This could not be what Phillip expected after such success.

Life usually doesn’t turn out the way we anticipate.  Our expectations usually lead to frustration.  However, God’s plans exceed our expectations.

You may be in that dry, barren desert now.  Life did not turn out the way you thought it should, but it is no surprise to God.  God’s ways are not our ways (Is. 55:8).  Often we can’t understand what He is doing.  However, His purposes are better than anything we could imagine.

Phillip shared the Gospel with one man in the desert.  The Ethiopian eunuch was an important man, but he was just one man seeking God.  At the right moment, they came upon that certain water, an oasis in the desert where Phillip baptized the eunuch.

He turns a wilderness into pools of water, and dry land into water springs.  Psalm 107:35 NKJV

In your unexpected desert, God will provide an unexpected blessing.  He will give you water springs of joy in the midst of sorrow.  He will give you peace during the storm.  He will fulfill your deepest needs.  He can repair broken relationships.

He heals your diseases, and He will lavish you with the grace to handle any desert situation.

Friend, don’t allow life’s turns to bring you down.  Trust in God who can water the desert.  He has an oasis waiting for you.

Whatever form of desert you are traversing today, take it to God.  He wants you to cast your cares on Him, and He wants you to trust Him to make a way for you.  Write Psalm 107:35 and other encouraging verses on sticky notes and place them around your home as reminders that this too shall pass.

Heavenly Father, thank You for putting an unexpected blessing in my path. It helps me as I travel this desert road knowing You have wonderful plans waiting for me.  Amen.

© 2016 by Carolyn Dale Newell All rights reserved.

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