The Honey Drop:
This post is dedicated to the McDougall family, who are knee deep in the mire right now. The Lord has given me the privilege to be a part of their life as a nurse, a fan, a friend and sister in Christ. Please take a moment to support them in prayer...
This post is dedicated to the McDougall family, who are knee deep in the mire right now. The Lord has given me the privilege to be a part of their life as a nurse, a fan, a friend and sister in Christ. Please take a moment to support them in prayer...
"He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along." |
The Picture:
What do you think is the biggest killer in the desert: heat, lack of water, scorpions? The greatest killer in the desert—by far—is flash floods. While the parched desert lands rarely see rain, the surrounding mountains experience heavy water accumulation each rainy season. The limestone mountain terrain does not absorb the waters, so it flows downhill towards the desert through the deep valleys called “wadis”. The desert-dwelling Bedouins will post a scout equipped with a hanging barrel and an iron rod to loudly alert the shepherds and their grazing herds of any oncoming floods, for if the shepherds waited to hear the roar of the water before scrambling for higher ground they would be trapped and surely drown.
“When a flood does occur in the desert, it is amazing to behold. The sky is clear, the sun is shining, and suddenly a deep wall of water roars through the narrow canyon. Anyone unfortunate enough to be in the wadi is washed away, an all-too-frequent occurrence for shepherds and sheep in this region.” (Vander Laan, 2009)
There are many references in the Bible that draw on this image:
- The Psalmist says he waits for the Lord to come to his aid like "a pent up flood," The image is that God comes with enormous power, suddenly and unexpectedly.
- The water leaves behind a deadly, sticky, topsoil gumbo which can entrap anything that treads upon it--a vehicle, sheep, shepherd, etc. This image is for those who feel they are in a desert valley, stuck in the mud with disaster bearing down on them, and who can’t do anything about it except watch and plead with God to save them.
- David, while running for his life from Saul in the southern Israel desert, likened his despair to the floods in the desert. His repeated cries to God are recorded in Psalms...he was able to say of the Lord, “He lifted my feet from the clay and put them on a rock." The Lord placed this in Scripture because He wants us to do the same as we live through our own floods.
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"The Lord sits enthroned over the flood;
the Lord is enthroned as King forever.
The Lord gives strength to his people;
the Lord blesses his people with peace."
Psalm 29:10-11 (NIV)
References:
- Amazing Flash Flood Footage. David Rankin. Rankinstudio.com . Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com /watch?feature=player_embedded&v=TDtBby7lJX0.
- Bryant, C. W. (2012). How Stuff Works. Retrieved Dec 2012, from How Desert Survival Works: http://adventure.howstuffworks.com/survival/wilderness/desert-survival7.htm
- Flash-flood in Jordan. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=qp53XWXe19w
- Vander Laan, R. (2009). Wadis. Retrieved Dec 2012, from Follow the Rabbi: http://followtherabbi.com/world/encyclopedia/article/wadis
- Image: Desert flooding in Zin River. (unknown). http://www.freeisraelphotos.com/pictures/2/74/free_israel_photos_places_zin_flood_640.jpg.
- Five people swept away in a flash flood. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Rr7u345D3xc.
- Vander Laan, R. (2007). The Eastern Window. Address at Twin Falls Reformed Church, Twin Falls, ID.
- Verses found at BibleGateway.com.