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“O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.”  Psalm 63:1 (ESV)

While I’m an avid fan of summer,  2024 surpassed my tolerance of hot and humid. It has been the driest summer I remember in a long, long time. Prior to August, I spent my evenings watering thirsty flowers and maneuvering drooping plants into some shade. Probably not the best summer for gardens and tender plants; however, it didn’t stop me from planting a rose bush my mom gave us. Despite my continuous watering, an ugly stump stuck out of the ground  – growth was nowhere in sight.

The effects of our summer drought zapped the moisture right out of the ground leaving the soil, parched and thirsty. Grass crunched. Gardens suffered. Streams dried up. Water levels dropped. No lawn mowing was required. The sea of brown outside my kitchen window left me longing for the plush, green spring grass.

Sound familiar? We’ve probably all experienced seasons of drought in our souls. Moments when we’ve allowed other things to take priority over our relationship with God. Seasons when busy overrides nourishment from His words. Times when gathering with our sisters in Bible Study and prayer fell to the side. Just like the initial effects of a drought go unnoticed, we often fail to realize the impact of minimizing our relationship with God. Nothing else will satisfy like He does. Nothing else refreshes our soul like He does. Nothing else positions us to flourish and grow like He does.

Now, sweet friends, God gives us grace upon grace. He lavishes us with mercy and totally gets it when life demands caregiving, navigating illnesses, work overloads, etc. leave us overwhelmed. God is not about a checklist but rather a relationship. Even in those dry seasons, He draws us to life-sustaining snippets of nourishment. Our God is great at orchestrating exactly what we need at the exact moments we need it the most. A hope-filled card from a friend miles away arrives in the heat of the battle. We get in the car to run another errand and worship music fills the air. We make it to church (late) tired and exhausted only to leave from this place uplifted and strengthened.

God is continuously pursuing us even if we ignore Him – the receiving of daily spiritual watering is up to us to soak it in. Beauty from within and thirsty souls quenched are the byproducts of soaking in His nourishment – igniting our hearts back to a passionate relationship with our God.

The culmination of my efforts to nourish and tend to that ugly stump of a rose bush finally unveiled tiny green leaves that birthed the most beautiful rose. If I had left it to the drought, I would have missed the stunning aroma unfolding right before my eyes. Don’t settle for dry, parched and thirsty. Don’t miss out on the growth God longs to birth in our souls. Intentionally choose to absorb the life-giving transforming daily spiritual water from our God and watch as His beauty unfolds within us.

“Father, we allow ourselves to get so thirsty relying on other things to fill us. Plant within our hearts an unquenchable desire to stay deeply connected to You.”

For His Glory

Janet Martin

TRBC Women’s Life