“Blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit”. Jeremiah 17:7-8
Following after Jesus does not mean that Christians will never experience drought, desert times when the soul longs for green oases and overflowing wells. Weary from the pursuit of Saul, Shepherd King David cried out to God, “I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you in a dry and parched land where there is no water.”
But just as towels best absorb water when they are totally dry, so can our thirsty souls best absorb the water of life as we empty ourselves of sin and distractions, faithfully continue sitting in the presence of God, meditating on his words, awaiting the refreshing rain that will eventually come.
It’s easy to become preoccupied with the lack of spiritual moisture, to become “bothered by the heat and worried by long months of drought.” But we find comfort in the promise that even during these seemingly interminable times, God continues to produce fruit in and through us. A clue to living successfully through these times is given by David, “I will praise you as long as I live…with singing lips my mouth will praise you.” (Psalm 63) This is praise even in the desert, what one writer called the sacrifice of praise. A sacrifice accepted and honored by our Heavenly Father who knows best when to send rain.
Father, the drought seems long and the dryness deep. Help me endure by trusting in you, by claiming you as my hope and confidence. Thank you, too, for producing fruit in and through me even when I don’t recognize the crop.
By Marilyn Ehle
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