Parched and Helpless..

I love watching a good western.

 

Growing up, my parents loved to watch good westerns too.  In fact, for a long time, I used to think John Wayne (the actor) was my uncle.  But, that is a story for another time.

 

In a lot of westerns, there is the typical scene of the cowboy and his horse having to cross a desert area.  The camera does a wide angle shot and you see the thermal heat rising off of the distant vista.  You are certain it is H-O-T! Oh, and our cowboy?  He just tried his canteen and it is empty.  Some movies emphasize this moment by having sand coming out of the canteen as the cowboy turns it over hoping for one last drop of relief.  The cowboy and his horse are not in good shape at all.  Sometimes they show you the horse foaming at the mouth (which all western-loving fans know is a BAD sign).  Death is immient for this horsie if he doesn't get any water soon.  Most times, the horse falls down and the cowboy, looking sad & forlorn at the horse, leaves him where he lies. We feel bad for the horse, but even worse for the cowboy.  With his horsie down, the cowboy must continue on...A L O N E.  At this point, there is a cut to a commercial break.  Guess what all those commercials are about?  Cold, water beading on the outside, popular beverages you can rush off to your supermarket and purchase right now!  I usually opted to get a glass of water with lots of ice.

 

After the commercial break, we rejoin our cowboy barely able to walk on the cracked, lifeless desert floor.  He stumbles.  He falls.  He REALLY needs something to drink!  He may have lost his protective ten-gallon hat.  His head is laid bare to the cruel, intense sun beating relentlessly down upon his water-deprived head. It is almost as if you can see the rays of the sun evaporating every last molecule of moisture on this poor, water-starved cowboy.  Inevitably, there is a closeup on our cowboy's face.  He is red-faced and yet has this leather looking tan skin.  His lips are cracked (and maybe bleeding).  His eyes are squinting and you wonder how he can see anything...sheesh...he'd miss the water if there was any to see!  You know it is coming.  He can only crawl for so long and then he stops.  Usually our cowboy is in a facedown, prone position with one arm reaching out for...what?  We cut to another commercial break.  More drink commercials.  Sometimes there is a life insurance pitch.

 

When we resume our observation of the near-death cowboy, the camera slowly pans from his boots, over his body and the pans up as it reaches his outstretched hand.  As it is panning up, we see a little cloud of dust on the horizon.  Is it the bad guys?  Is it the good guys?  Is it a man-flesh-eating desert lion (okay, I just threw that one in...)? Or, da-da-daaaa! is it the injuns?  Sometimes, it can be a frontier family heading out to California to make a new start...but this time, it isn't them!

 

Almost always, it is a good person (buddy, side-kick, Indian or insert your favorite rescue character here).  Whomever it is, they arrive - just in the nick of time - and gently, ever so slowly, cradle the expiring cowboy in their arms, part their cracked lips and give them the ONE thing he needs...bubble gum!  No? Oh, maple syrup! No? Oh, saltine crackers! No? Oh, silly me...a Cherry-flavored, diet Dr. Pepper! (which, at this point...might be okay)! No?  I know, that seems so silly and ridiculous.  They trickle water droplets into the cowboys mouth.  He is saved!  He will live to avenge the death of his trusted pony another day!

 

This vivid, and perhaps silly, illustration accentuates a beautiful point I heard today on the radio. "Faith is the prying open of our parched, dead lips to have living water poured in."  Just like our symbolic cowboy couldn't do anything to remedy (fix, help, change) his situation, neither did we. 

 

Therefore the Samaritan woman *said to Him, "How is it that You, being a Jew, ask me for a drink since I am a Samaritan woman?" (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, 'Give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water." (John 4:9-10)

The woman *said to Him, "I know that Messiah is coming (He who is called Christ); when that One comes, He will declare all things to us." Jesus *said to her, "I who speak to you am He." (John 4:25-26)

For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. (Romans 5:6-9)

It wasn't so long ago that we ourselves were stupid and stubborn, dupes of sin, ordered every which way by our glands, going around with a chip on our shoulder, hated and hating back. But when God, our kind and loving Savior God, stepped in, he saved us from all that. It was all his doing; we had nothing to do with it. He gave us a good bath, and we came out of it new people, washed inside and out by the Holy Spirit. Our Savior Jesus poured out new life so generously. God's gift has restored our relationship with him and given us back our lives. And there's more life to come--an eternity of life! (Titus 3:3-7-The Message)

"Not by works of rightousness which we have done, but according to His mercy, He saved us."

 

Read the above passage from Romans 5:6-9 again.

Christ died for us...to save us from the wrath of God.

Doesn't that thrill your heart?!!!

 

It did mine!

 

If you don't know Jesus as your Savior, won't you trust Him today?  Trust Him at His word.  He will give you living water.  He will pry open your dead soul and revive it, no, change it with His living water.  I like how The Message paraphrased the Titus passage, "It was all His doing; we had nothing to do with it.  He gave us a good bath, and we came out of it new people, washing inside and out by the Holy Spirit.  Our Savior Jesus poured out new life so generously.  God's gift has restored our relationship with Him..."

 

Have a great weekend!

 

If you don't know Jesus...ask God to reveal Him to you.

 

I love you all and pray for you daily!

Mary