Years ago, someone introduced me to the music of David Ingles. I play it often for a couple of reasons: (1) His voice is as soothing as his accompaniment, and (2) all his songs are scripturally based.
One of my Ingle’s favorites is *I’ve Found an Oasis of Love. One day I pulled the word booklet out of the front of the CD and was surprised to read how it came to be written.
He was at Lakewood Church in Houston, TX, then pastored by John Osteen, Joel Osteen’s father. While encouraging his congregation not to treat visitors as strangers, he said, “Let’s just love ‘em to LIFE! We want them to know that they have found an oasis of love in a troubled world.”
Those words struck a chord in Ingle’s creative heart. The result was a beautiful song that always draws me in on the chorus:
I
found an oasis of love,
The
pastures are green year around;
A
new life is mine with peace from above;
I
found an oasis of love!
“Pastures are green year around” always reminds me of Palms 23. It opens with The LORD is my shepherd. Then verse two says He makes me lie down in green pastures. If that doesn’t create a picture of peace and provision, I don’t know what will.
Psalm 23 is a favorite of many people. A great devotional book, now published as a small paperback, is **A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23.
The first dictionary meaning of oasis is shared at the top, however, there is a second meaning in my New World Dictionary: any place or thing offering welcome relief from difficulty, dullness, etc.
I’m suggesting an oasis in music. Scriptural songs come in a wide variety of styles. Peaceful listening!
*Oasis of Love is on CD2 of The Best of David Ingles. Find his personal story and available music at www.diministries.org
**A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23, W. Phillip Keller, Zondervan Publ., 2007 paperback, available from Christianbook.com or your favorite book source.
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