When spiritual drought brings new growth – 19 March 2020

How long must I take counsel in my soul/and have sorrow in my heart all the day/ How long shall my enemy be exulted over me? Psalm13:4-5

There comes a time in the life of each one of us when you find yourself in soul solstice or in a barren no man’s land, where you felt bereft of God and man. All you see ahead of you is an insurmountable chasm between you and the safe haven of a God who hears, a God who sees, and a God who answers.

At times like these making wild statements regarding the existence of God, or of a God who doesn’t care will get you nowhere. This is the time to believe with expectation that God will answer, as He has done many a time in the past.

Perhaps this is a good time to pay a visit to the gallery of the hopeless and to peruse the long line of believers who felt the same way. Here you will find Elijah under the dry bush, Job on the garbage heap scratching his sores, David running for his life and hiding in a cave, and ultimately, Christ hanging from the cross, crying out: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me! (Matthew 27:46).

Often this silence before God becomes fertile soil for new growth and deeper understanding of the depth of your existence, as well as the breadth of God’s grace. Believe and trust that you will once more hear the voice of God calling you to a renewal of faith and rising to a new life in Jesus Christ.

Prayer: Lord, my God, when it is winter in my life, send a dove on my way to remind me of your constant presence in my life, even when I am too down to recognise the gentle sound of your voice. Amen