It has not rained much during the past couple of weeos in my locale, and everything is very dry. Dust is everywhere. It settles on, over, around, and in the house. When driving, we are pursued by a cloud of dust 100 yards long. The environment is dry, dusty, and dingy. I am grateful to live on the water, so I know that the trees and plants surrounding us will get what they need. They are connected to a source of moisture that does not require regular rainfall. The dusty and dry conditions have no effect on them. They are still green and beautiful even though the environment is starved for water.
Just as the natural environment may experience times of dryness, we may encounter the same in our personal walk with God. There are times when it seems our relationship with Him is dry. We don’t feel the same motivation we used to, and the excitement seems to fade. David addressed this in Psalm 63:1: “O God, you are my God; I earnestly search for you. My soul thirsts for you; my whole body longs for you in this parched and weary land where there is no water.” The Psalmist states his survival strategy in dry times as “I earnestly search for you.”
SURVIVE AND THRIVE
Although we may feel we are going through dry times in our relationship with the Lord, we must understand the difference between feelings and fact. David also wrote “Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do.” (Psa 1:1-3) Feelings come and go, but this fact remains: No matter how I feel, if I delight myself in the Word of God continually, I will always survive and thrive, even in the driest of times. Like the tree planted on the riverbank, I will always have a source of water that will never dry up. Earnestly seeking the Lord day and night and focusing on His Word will cause me to prosper in everything I do. When I have this attitude, the dry season will pass. I will then be able to look back upon it, knowing that I had success in my relationship with God, no matter what my feelings told me.
When you experience a “dry” time in your life, don’t give in to the feelings. Realize that Jesus will never leave you, and as you continue to pursue His Word you will prosper. Deut 29:9 says “Keep therefore the words of this covenant, and do them, that ye may prosper in all that ye do.” Don’t worry, it won’t be long. The rain will come again and restore the earth around us, and the washing of the water of the Word will restore our personal lives and relationships. These are truths that we can count on!
