Oasis

While on one of our regular walks around where we live we noticed something we had not been aware of before. Just down a little road next to a row of terraced houses a couple of roads away was a large wire gate through which we could see a landscaped area with a new pathway around freshly growing grass, some. New tree saplings and a garden shed which looked like it might be a future cafe.

On the gate displayed a notice to let us all know that the communal garden would be open as from the 2nd of June. As soon as we could a few days later we made our way to the garden to see what was there.

We were pleasantly surprised to find neat graven pathway and a green area with benches for seating. It isn’t all that large; probably about 40-40m square, but it has been very thoughtfully landscaped to incorporate an arbour, fruit trees, and raised gardens for students from the nearby schools for disabled children, and other people with special needs.

I am not sure how many people have visited this place so far; for when we go we have only ever seen one lady and her children. I don’t think many people know about it as yet, although I am sure it has already been appreciated from other visitors, and certainly by the surrounding neighbourhood.

It is a lovely place to go that is not far from where we live but out from the hustle and bustle of daily living. A place to go and be quiet, to rest and refresh.

It is situated right in the middle of a complex of older houses and feels like a bit of an oasis right in the middle of an otherwise fairly busy area.

I am so glad we found this pleasant place. We now go there often and sit down and ‘rest a while’. It’s a nice place to go with a book to read, or just sit and listen to the birds singing. Of course I couldn’t help but recall the words of our beloved Lord Jesus:

How important it is in the midst of a busy life to set aside a few moments of time and go to a place to rest, to pray, and to recalibrate our thoughts. How important it is to come away and spend some precious moments in the presence of the Lord whom all blessings flow!

The Lord Jesus knew the importance of doing such a thing; for the Bible tells us often that He often withdrew himself from the crowd to spend time alone with His father. Sometimes he did this at the complete opposite time when we would've done so. Just when everything was busy and successful, we would have chosen to stay right in the middle of the action, but our Lord removed Himself from all that action to refresh Himself in the presence of His Father.

The children of Israel during their journey through the wilderness on their way to the land of promise came across a place called Elim which was an oasis in the desert. It was a place of twelve fountains of water, and seventy palm trees. They stayed and rested for a few days before they continued their journey. It was necessary for them to stop and rest, just like it is necessary for us to do so also on our heaven bound journey.

As an aside - I thought of the children of Israel residing at the oasis in the hot arid wilderness, as we have just passed through a season of unusually very hot weather which none of us are accustomed to. Springs of cool fresh water would have been very welcome when the temperatures rose to 38°C or 102°F and only cooled a little at night but was still in the 30s! Daily life was a challenge and sleep was difficult. Thankfully things are a lot cooler now and we can all come up for air.

Back to topic 😊 - The Lord Jesus spoke to a company of people who had become distracted and diverted and gave to them an invitation:

We, like those to whom He was addressing are prone to become distracted and wander. We are prone to become diverted and before we know it we are overwhelmed with cares, anxieties, and exhaustion.

Our Lord Jesus is our divine refuge and He invited us to come to Him, because there is nobody who will give to us the rest we need for our souls like He can. And the promise of the rest we need is found in the knowledge of Him. The more we learn of Him the easier it is to ‘rest’ in Him. The closer we are acquainted with Him the clearer we will see His actions and workings in our lives. All these things help build our confidence in Him, and we will, like the Apostle Paul be able to confidently acclaim: “… I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.” 2 Timothy 1: 12.

The thing is, God wants us to know Him well enough to be confident in Him. He wants us to be at peace and rest in our lives, even in the midst of trials and seasons of suffering.

In the midst of our wilderness walks, God will always provide for us an oasis where we may come quietly to rest a while in His presence. It may only be for short periods sometimes, but let us ask the Lord to help us to recognise them and use them well. There in those moments alone with Him there will be treasures to be found for the good of our souls and ultimately for His delight also.