Oasis

The approach to Welcome Station seems barren, but surprisingly large trees flourish in this well established oasis.

Angel Lake is an alpine lake in the East Humboldt range of the Ruby Mountains. About a 30 minute drive from the park.

On our trips to the Southwest, we leave behind the towering Douglas Fir trees, transition through the pine forests, then gradually get to areas where trees are scarce. Nevada is a beautiful state with enormous differences from area to area. However, vast portions of it are barren of all but scrubby bushes. Distance is hard to gauge in the wide-open space where twenty or thirty miles stretches out ahead, clearly seen. Rocky outcroppings often reveal fascinating colors or layers of rock. Snow covered mountains tower over rows of lesser hills. Even the valley floors are 3,000 feet of higher elevation than I’m accustomed to. 

We pass small towns, and I wonder about the people who choose to live in this barren wildness with sweeping views and open skies. What do they do for water? How far do they drive for groceries or services? Does UPS deliver this far out? 

My friend Nancy tells me long drives into town are normal. When the closer town doesn’t have what’s needed, then it’s an hour or more drive to a large town. No big deal. For her. But most of my life, I’ve lived within ten minutes of any necessary services. I struggle to comprehend this. 

After hours of seemingly endless miles, I wonder if we will ever arrive at Nancy place. It’s an RV campground. It sounds lovely. I’ve seen pictures and I’m eager to see it for myself. It boasts a year-round creek with flowers blooming in various places around the edge of grass and trees. But the drive seems endless and there’s no relief in sight. Surely, we aren’t that far away! My GPS informs me we are within a few miles, but all I see is brown on every side of the ribbon of freeway. It seems impossible that anything around here could be the place. 

The two-mile warning comes. I still see nothing. One mile more to go, still nothing. Then we top a small rise and there it is! A splash of green in the middle of brown gets my heart pounding. I see it! Breathless with excitement, we exit the freeway, and pull into this oasis right in the middle of desert. Towering trees shade the lush grass kept green by daily watering with huge hoses pulling from the creek. Even at the end of summer, plenty of water gurgles as it tumbles over rocky dams, passing the vegetable garden ready to harvest. 

Welcome Station is well named. [1]

I am profoundly struck by the difference water and caretaking makes. Left on its own, some plants will thrive alongside a creek. But with care and the strategic use of water the gigantic trees flanked by lush green grass thrive. The garden produces abundant vegetables and fruits. Flowers of many colors, changing throughout the season embellish the green. 

It’s lovely. But this oasis is not happenstance. It came about through years of diligent work. Maybe there are places where an oasis forms on its own. This is not one of them. 

It reminds me that often we need to take responsibility for our piece of ground, our lives. 

There was a time in my life when it felt like that barren region of Nevada. Then we started going to a new church. I wasn’t eager, but the people were so full of love. They welcomed us and spoke Holy Spirit inspired words to us which stirred up our faith. They demonstrated the power of prophetic words and how crucial it is to learn to listen to what the Lord is saying to us, right now. This provoked a hunger in me for more of God. I read some recommended books that reframed my understanding of the Bible and it came alive like never before. I took a couple of classes on the prophetic and realized there was a powerful piece of Christianity that had been set aside. It was life changing. 

Learning how to sit in His presence and soak up His love was hard. I wanted to jump up and do, but He said, “no, sit and wait with Me.” I waited. Gradually, I heard Him better and understood how I received messages from Him: soft and subtle. No neon lights but a quiet knowing or impression. 

Saturated by the Living Water, I weeded out lies, breaking old strongholds of wrong thinking. and planted flowers of praise. Old mindsets were broken off, replaced by His.

In this process, it surprised me to discover that I became an oasis. Increasingly I saw the impact of my hunger for God touching others with life and encouragement. I was in awe of God’s design to fill me to overflowing just so I could overflow and splash that love everywhere. It wasn’t by my effort that I made it happen, I had tried that and failed. It was connection: connection to God and connection to others. 

His life bubbles up inside of me when I determine to stay in His flow. We don’t work at it, but we do have to choose it. My part is to keep the spring clean and stay close. I intentionally soak up His presence. Then I can share His living water. It might be a splash here or a drop there, but in a desert even a drop of water is significant. 

I challenge you to do the work to nurture the oasis in you. Is there anything blocking your spring? Do you need to connect with the Living Water? Pull the weeds—the lies that hold you back. Dare to step into His presence. Jesus opened the way by conquering sin and death. Let living water flow into you, saturating you so it can overflow. 

Then watch the desert bloom.