A man was traveling on horseback across the desert near the Rio Grande River in New Mexico. He had lost his way and wandered about in the burning heat of the sun, searching for water. He thought that both he and his horse were going to die from lack of water. Oh, how thirsty he was!
Most of us do not know what real thirst is - when the throat becomes dry and hot and the lips are cracked and burning. Those who have experienced this kind of thirst say that they would have given all they owned for a drink of water.
As the hot day dragged by, the rider urged his weary horse on, still hoping to reach a stream or a pool before they died.
It was late in the afternoon when they reached the top of a ridge. The man looked down into a little canyon and saw grass growing thick and long. That meant water. That was what he was looking for - a spring that would have good water. It seemed to come from nowhere, but there was a little trickle of water coming out of the side of the canyon. It was almost too good to be true.
Climbing down from Lady, his horse, he led her down the steep slope. He let her go to the grass and water while he waded through the small, marshy bog to get right where the water trickled out of the canyon wall. He stayed there a long time, his feet deep in the cool mud of the bog, drinking and cooling himself in the cool spring water.
Finally getting his fill, he tried to pull his feet out of the mud. But they would not come out. He tried pulling one out at a time, but the more he struggled the deeper he seemed to sink in the bog. He was stuck and could not move. Had he been spared from dying of thirst only to die in a bog?
Then suddenly he thought of Lady who was grazing downstream. “Lady!” he called, “Lady, come!” She seemed to sense something was wrong and came close to where he was caught in the bog. “Come closer, Lady,” he commanded. She moved close enough so that he could catch hold of the saddle straps. It was his only hope, so grasping the straps, he hung on.
“Now, Lady, pull,” he said firmly, “let’s go!” The horse seemed to understand, and for the next few moments she pulled and strained. The man hung on tightly, knowing that this was his only hope of getting out of the bog. It felt like his arms and legs were being pulled out of their sockets, but still he hung on.
Finally, the bog lost its grip on his legs and feet, and Lady dragged him to firmer ground. The man fell to the ground, exhausted but saved.
This story gives us two pictures of a sinner. The first picture is of a sinner who, sooner or later, discovers that this world is nothing but a dry desert. Nothing keeps him happy for very long. There is nothing to satisfy what his heart and soul need. If he goes on like this he will die in his sins and be lost in hell forever. But the Lord Jesus Christ lovingly calls to each one, “If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink.” John 7:3737In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. (John 7:37). He is the fountain of life and gives the living water. If a sinner will take a “drink” from Him, he will live forever.
The man helpless in the bog is our second picture of a sinner. He is stuck in the bog of sin, sinking down to death and hell. Can you see yourself in this picture? Can you see that, like the man in the story, you cannot help yourself? But there is a Saviour and a friend, the Lord Jesus Christ, who loves you. If you will call to Him, He will come and lift you out of the bog of sin. He will wash away all your sins and start you on your way to heaven. He also will keep you happy and satisfied all along the way. You can depend on Him! Why not trust Him today?
ML-01/01/1995