Wandering in a Dry, Weary Land

In our area, there has been very little rain in recent months.  Most green plants have turned brown.  Much of the western U.S. is still suffering drought.  In other places we’ve lived through a drought, civic leaders passed restrictions against car-washes and watering a lawn; such practices were seen as a waste of a precious resource.

Have you cut back on any unnecessary use of water yet?  Last year, my brother-in-law up North installed a plastic barrel at the bottom of a gutter drain spout, to collect rain water to water the garden & flowers.  I’ve seen one house in town that uses 5-gallon buckets for the same purpose.  When water gets scarce, it’s wise to consider ways to conserve it, to make the remaining water last longer.

In the Bible, a drought was seen in a spiritual way, as a dry, thirsty period when G seems far away.  Sometimes, a drought was seen as God’s punishment or discipline on his disobedient children. 

In Psalm 63:1, David wrote, “O God, You are my God, earnestly I seek You; my soul thirsts for You, my body longs for You, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.”  Have you been wandering in a dry, weary land? 

It would have been understandable if David had become so overwhelmed, but he had God’s promise that he would become the next King of Israel.  He knew that no matter the enemy did, the Lord was watching over him.  But when one goes through a dry, weary land for months or years, one can feel far away from God, perhaps even neglected.

Many of us, if not all, have gone through dry, weary times.  When we get discouraged by the challenges we face, it’s good for us to remember that God is stronger than the situation we face.  The Lord is our Shepherd who watches over us.  When we go through a dry, weary period, do you and I thirst for God?  Do we long for God, as David did?

In John 4, Jesus spoke to the Samaritan woman at the well, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks this water I give him will never thirst.  Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

If you’re going through a dry, weary time, seek the One who offers the Water of Life.  He will nourish your soul and give you strength to survive this drought.  The next time you enjoy a glass of cold, refreshing water, pause to thank the One who gives the water that wells up to eternal life.  Then seek his life.