Christianity Explored
Want to know more?
How to run a course
Equipping leaders
News | Nate Talks. . . Webcam from Wee Waa
21 January 2009
Nathan Morgan Locke, Christianity Explored's Youth Evangelist, pores over Proverbs 25:25
I have a friend named Will. Will lives in Wee Waa. Wee Waa is in New South Wales, Australia.
Every so often Will sends a webcam or email update of his zany adventures, and this simple act has a significant effect on my mood. It makes me very happy.
We live in an age of almost constant communication: mobile phones, wireless internet, instant messaging, webcams and the good old-fashioned postal service. It has never been easier to tell people what we are doing and to find out what they are up to. The difficulty is that we spend most of our time communicating on a superficial level, so much of what we say becomes a dialogue of logistics and practicalities.
But sometimes, just occasionally, we receive a message that warms the heart, a piece of news that brings light and energy to a dull and dreary monochrome day. The writer of Proverbs knows this. Proverbs 25 reads:
“Like cold water to a weary soul is good news from a distant land.”
Thirst for life
The writer draws his simile from the arena of physical fatigue and thirst. The soul is tired, weary and in need of a drink. Nothing else can satisfy thirst; there can be no distraction; no other amusement can stave it off. The weary soul desires liquid refreshment and is consumed with the search until the need is met.
For many people in the Western world, real thirst is a rare experience. Our shopping streets are packed with coffee shops, pubs, Tescos and newsagents; motorway service stations provide us with the opportunity to take a break; bottled water is readily available and there’s always the tapped variety. The closest we get to real thirst is when we’re playing sport and many of us will know the joy of the half-time oranges.
In the same way, good news is refreshing and encouraging. We can delight in the fact of another’s happiness. The news might even affect us directly: a distant friend who is planning to visit is an exciting prospect. So much of the New Testament is made up of carefully written pieces of correspondence designed to encourage and spur people on.
The Greek word evangel is translated ‘gospel’ in our English Bibles and literally means ‘good news’. So go ahead, read the ‘good news from a distant land’ about Jesus. And once you have let it refresh and revive your weary soul, why not send it on? Write it on a postcard, put it in a letter, thumb it in a text, speak it into a webcam and maybe even type out an email.
I have a friend called Will. Will lives in Wee Waa. And I’m going to send him an email.
Next week: Join us for the first of four 'Nate Talks. . .' on the Book of Obadiah
More
More devotionals by Nate
Sign up for See Why CY! conferences
Tell us your best Biblical homonumerals
Can't remember your verses? Create online Bible flashcards [external site]
© 2010 Christianity Explored | Terms and Conditions | Help
UK Registered Charity no: 1121552. Company no: 6347617. 14 Harley Street, London, W1G 9PQ.
Christianity Explored is registered in England.