“You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:13 (ESV) “Whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” John 4:14 (ESV)
No better way to unwind after a busy day than a brisk walk. Releasing a little stress, breathing in the cool air of autumn and being mesmerized by a beautiful array of orange, yellow and red trees. Yes it’s fall in our part of the world and its absolutely gorgeous outside. Who would have ever thought after the worst drought our state has seen in nearly twenty years, we have a picture perfect fall.
Flip the calendar back to early October and we thought we would miss beauty this year. Dry leaves were hitting the ground even in September, and the stress of a drought totally impacts the production of color pigments making fall foliage very minimal if not nonexistent. Only God could orchestrate just enough rain and the right temps to burst forth the most vibrant trees while we are still in a drought.
Ever experienced a drought of your soul? A dry spell. Moments when emptiness looms large. Our once enthusiastic desire for prayer and time spent in His Word evades us. Growth becomes stagnant to the point of nonexistence. Nothing appears to be working….even God feels distant.
A drought is considered a creeping phenomenon because its impact develops slowly and can persist long after rainfall returns. The same is true in our spiritual lives. We can easily slip into a rut of meaningless disciplines we simply check off the list. Our hearts’ desires slowly transition to other more seemingly important pursuits. Allowing busyness or boredom to rule over our time with God.
Now, sweet friends we’ve probably all experienced moments when life dictated a quick prayer and a few scriptures to get us through the day. And in those seasons, God meets us right where we are, yet He longs for us to have a healthy, vibrant relationship with Him. He knows that apart from Him we can do absolutely nothing. And if we excuse away time in prayer, worship, Bible reading, and fellowship then God knows the drought will silently creep in.
So if we find ourselves parched, barren, distant from God then the best solution is to prayerfully uncover the root of how we landed in this place. Here’s just a few to consider:
- How much intentional time are we spending with God in His Word and prayer?
- Have hard seasons of trials and challenges clouded our perspective of God’s character?
- Has ease shifted us from God dependence to self-dependence?
- Are there any areas of unconfessed sin that we are clinging to rather than confessing?
- Does our friend group draw us closer to God or further away?
- Have our boundaries slipped to the point of sheer exhaustion?
- What is consuming our energy, focus and devotion?
Lots to think about and pray over as we open our hearts before our God and seek His guidance in revealing where we went off course. And the sweetest thing about our God is that when we draw near to Him with sincere hearts, He is full of mercy, love and compassion. What was once dry, parched and barren can be restored to fullness and joy when we intentionally seek His guidance in examining our hearts.
Can glorious beauty really burst forth after a season of drought? Just look around you, sweet friends, the beauty of creation is on full display. And if our God takes such delight in adorning the trees this fall then we can count on Him to restore, renew and refresh our souls – we too can be a display of His beauty.
“Father, You paint the most vibrant seasons in our lives. Ease or challenge – You use them all to strengthen us, teach us and grow us so we will reflect Your beauty to our world.”
For His Glory
Janet Martin
TRBC Women’s Life
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