Digging in the Desert

Deserts…they are not fun places to be stranded. These are places that recieve almost no percipitation(falling products of condensation in the atmosphere, as rain, snow, or hail)…so in other words, they are dry. Now the desert I will be refering to is not a physical one, but it can be just as deadly and draining. It is the desert in ones spiritual life. This is when everything feels so draining. Like when you read the word and you can’t feel Him. Or pray and can’t hear Him. This is when the emotions that were there at the beginning of your relationship with Him have left, and that is what makes these times so difficult. Our culture has taught us to act off of our emotions, how we “feel”. But this is contrary to what God wants for us, because feelings are fleeting, they come and go, and God want’s us to base our decisions off of something much more stable…His will. He is not an emotion, or a feeling. He is REAL. Part of breaking through to God is getting through the desert…when those emotions aren’t there, and the only thing we have left to lean on is our faith in Him. But this is not a blind faith, because He has given us His Word, and it’s full of promises to guide us through these difficult times.

The following scripture is one that hits specifically on this topic of being in the desert, and is a promise of the Lord’s faithfulness to us:

“This is what the Lord says: This dry valley will be filled with pools of water! You will see neither wind nor rain, says the Lord, but this valley will be filled with water. You will have plenty for yourselves and your cattle and other animals. But this is only a simple thing for the Lord, for he will make you victorious over the army of Moab!” – 2 Kings 3:16-18

In this scripture it was actually a physical desert they were in, but I know this can be applied spiritually. You see, the armies of the kings of Judah and Israel were dying of thirst in the desert, and needed a mircle from God. This was God’s promise to them, and He had only one condition: That they dig ditches in the desert and wait for Him. And when they obeyed Him, it proved to be true, even though there were no signs of water coming (you will see neither wind nor rain). God provided plenty of water for them, and all they had to do was obey Him by digging, and then wait.

Often this is the answer to getting through the desert: Dig and wait. And by digging, I mean digging deeper into the relationship you have with Him, and digging deeper into His word. Our relationship with Him needs to be ever moving forward. We can’t expect what we learned from Him last year to get us through this year. Our relationship with Him is just like any other, the only difference is that He will never fail you.

So if you are in the desert, be encouraged, He has not left you. He will cause you to be overflowing with water, even though you see neither wind nor rain…it just might take a little digging.