Flourish | Day 1

Flourishing in Spiritual Drought

Flourishing in Spiritual Drought

How to Stay Rooted in God’s Love When Life Feels Dry.

By Lisa Elliott

A number of years ago, my husband and I were privileged to take a trip to the Holy Land. At one point in our tour, we were led into a hole in the ground. As we lined up, I spotted a flowering bush growing out of a rock. Looking around at the landscape, I wondered how it could ever survive, let alone thrive in this barren environment. Once we got inside the chasm, we discovered that it was an old cistern. Suddenly Jeremiah 17:7–8 came alive:

But blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.

PERSONAL DROUGHT

Each of us will at one time or another experience a time of personal drought.

Personal droughts can be caused by crisis, discouragement, disillusionment, the death of a loved one, the loss of a friendship, depression, illness, times of loneliness, or burnout.

Several Bible characters experienced drought. The first thing Abraham ran into after God promised him a son was a famine (Gen. 12:10). Moses led the children of Israel through forty years in the wilderness, where he experienced discouragement and disillusionment (Exodus). David spent much of his life hiding out in caves (1 Sam. 21–31; 2 Sam. 15–19). Then there’s Elijah, who endured three-and-a-half years in physical drought that led him to spiritual, physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion (1 Kings 17–19).

I, too, have experienced many seasons of drought in my life. I’ve come through ministry burnout, depression, and even the death of my 18-year-old son to leukemia, resulting in a drought that I’d never experienced before. Often God has taken me away to a lonely place where He has grounded me in my faith, grown me in my relationship with Him, and prepared me for the next leg of my journey.

THE SOURCES OF FRUIT

God doesn’t just want us to survive but to thrive during times of drought. He wants us to bear fruit—but how?

1. Plant yourself in the soil of God’s love.

Jeremiah begins with, “But blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water.” The first key component to the health of a plant or tree is good soil.

Doubt is the soil in which fear grows. And here’s where Jeremiah comes in again. He tells us, “It does not fear when heat comes; It has no worries in a year of drought.” How is that possible? It all comes back to His love. First John 4:18 tells us that, “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear.”

The Bible tells us that God delights in you (Zeph. 3:17)! Do you delight in God?

Oftentimes, I think the reason we don’t meet more regularly with the Lord is because we look at it as an obligation, rather than an opportunity to meet with our Maker, the lover of our souls. We’re meeting a person, not a habit. That person loves you so much that He gave His very life for you! “God patiently longs to be gracious to you” (Isa. 30:18).

• You can trust Him when you don’t understand (Prov. 3:5–6).

• You can trust Him when your heart is broken (Ps. 34:18).

• You can trust Him when you’ve lost your hope (Jer. 29:11).

• You can trust Him to bring beauty from the ashes of your life (Eccl. 3:11).

Do you trust Him? If not, why not? Don’t be afraid to plant yourself in the soil of God’s love.

2. Root yourself in the Living Water of God’s Word.

Jeremiah goes on to say that the tree “sends out its roots by the stream.”

When my son was battling leukemia, he required regular transfusions. He had to have a PICC line inserted into his arm that ran directly through the main artery into his heart to keep him alive with blood products and nourishment.

In the same way, God’s Word became a lifeline to me. I’ve learned the necessity of planting myself daily by the streams of Living Water to feed off God’s Word, allowing it to transfuse my mind and soul into my heart and to flow deeply through my veins.

In the times of drought in my life, I have hungered for God the most. In desperation I have cried out to Him. Like the psalmist in Psalm 42, the cry of my heart has been, “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?” During these dry spells, I have hardly been able to wait to get into His Word every day.

I can relate to Jer. 15:16, where it says, “When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart’s delight, for I bear your name, LORD God Almighty.”

We need to plant ourselves by the streams of Living Water and dig our roots deep. It will restore your soul. It will refresh your spirit. It will renew your mind. Let it wash over you and flush through you, cleansing you and giving you peace, joy, hope, and encouragement (Col. 3:16a).

3. Bask in the light of God’s presence.

The next thing I want us to note is, “its leaves are always green.”

I’m a sun lover. To me there is nothing like basking in the sun, soaking up the rays. I am energized by the Vitamin D that it provides. But there is absolutely nothing like basking in the Son light. That’s how we keep our spiritual leaves green! In the same way that plants need sunshine to stay green, we need the Son light to shine upon us, providing us with daily nourishment that is vital to our health and growth.

Often we are prone to rush through our time with the Lord to get on with “real life” when in reality He is our life. When we choose to be still in God’s presence and know that He is God we will experience His power, His wisdom, and His love for us.

Isaiah 30:15 reminds us that “quiet and confidence will be your strength.” Furthermore, Isaiah 40:31 says, “Those who wait on the LORD will renew their strength, they will mount up with wings as eagles, they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint.”

It is good to linger in God’s presence! Often He has some things to say to me that I miss when I rush off into my day’s activities.

4. Produce lasting fruit.

God wants us to produce fruit that will last. As we plant ourselves in the soil of God’s love, as we root ourselves deeply by the streams of Living Water, and as we bask in the Son light of His presence, we will begin to produce fruit. People will take up residence beneath the shade of our tree. Others will experience the peace of God as they witness and desire the fruit that we bear.

I’m not sure how exactly God will produce lasting fruit in your periods of drought, but you can be sure He will! We produce lasting fruit when we take advantage of the opportunities to share God’s love with others. The fruit of the Spirit was not given to us to keep to ourselves, but to share with those around us.

God wants us to thrive, not simply survive the droughts that come along. God wants to shine through the brokenness of our lives. He wants to make our mess our message! He wants to make our drought our delivery, allowing and empowering us to produce lasting fruit!

The important thing to remember is that we must begin preparing for that drought now. Don’t wait for the drought to hit before you invest in and dig deeper in your walk with God.

5. Practice these tips this summer to enhance your time with the Lord.

• Choose a regular time to meet with Him that works best for you.

• Remove distractions (i.e. unplug your phone, turn off the T.V., pull the blinds).

• If you find your mind wanders easily, make a “worry list” (i.e. write down anything that enters your mind such as remembering to put the roast in the oven, make that phone call, etc.) “On paper, out of mind.”

• Take 15 minutes to declutter your quiet time space, to tidy up the kitchen, or whatever needs attention so you can give God your undivided attention.

• Create an inviting atmosphere (i.e. light a candle, make something, play quiet, inspirational worship music, settle in a favorite chair).

• Keep a basket by the place where you plan to meet with the Lord and include in it your Bible, devotional book, journal, pen, paper, highlighters, Kleenex, etc.

• Go for a walk with the Lord and enjoy His presence in the beauty of His creation.

• Meet Him in your garden.

• Find a body of water and sit by it, allowing the Living Water to refresh your body, mind, and soul.

Pray:

Lord, when my soul feels dry and weary, remind me that You are near. Help me to trust You even when I don’t understand the droughts in my life. Help me to root myself deeply in Your Word. Let it refresh and restore my soul with You, the Living Water. I want to flourish in this drought season…give me the strength to live well in it. Grow something lasting in me—fruit that points those around me to You. Root me into the soil of Your love, the living water of Your Word, and the light of Your presence. Thank You for being my hope especially in this hard season of spiritual drought in my life. Amen.

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