Staying Green In A Season Of Drought

God never denies us our hearts desire except to give us something better. ~Elisabeth Elliot

The photograph was taken this month at Folsom Lake, our reservoir, source of vital water supplies. What should be dancing waves of blue is a moonscape. Refills of melting snow have been scarce of late in Northern California.

We are in drought.

Drought comes in many forms, not only meteorological. Maybe you are there in the barren stretches of unanswered prayer, of unresolved issues. Maybe  heart-held dreams haunt you like the distant mountains, unreachable but real.

When everything seems dry and barren how do you stay green and growing?

The biblical writers lived in a similar climate to mine, and drought was a recurring concern. Throughout the scriptures, their ancient words remind us what to do when life-giving rains refuse to fall, when we watch the forecast with spirits already parched.

This is what the Lord says:
Cursed are those who put their trust in mere humans, who rely on human strength and turn their hearts away from the Lord.
They are like stunted shrubs in the desert, with no hope for the future.
They will live in the barren wilderness, in an uninhabited salty land.
But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence.
They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water.
Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought.
Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit. 

Jeremiah 17:5-8

Questions To Ask In Seasons Of Drought

In your thirst for resolution of unfulfilled longings, are you looking to other humans to be the answer? Is your fierce desire focused on anything smaller than God? Our hearts are like balloons–they grow only as big as what fills them. Maybe your dreams are too small and the bar of your love set too low, and God waits to enlarge your heart with himself. Who knows what he could do through a bigger-hearted you?

Have you planted yourself by the water of God’s nourishing presence? Do you send your roots down deep each day by spending time with him in listening prayer and attentive Bible reading,  allowing him to shape your hopes to align with his?

We can’t make it rain, we can’t force our dreams to come true, we can’t schedule the answers to long-stretched prayer. But we can drink deeply of God’s presence and love, and stay green and fruitful in seasons of drought.

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change…” (Psalm 46:1-2 NRSV)

Are you experiencing a time of drought? How do Jeremiah’s words speak to you today?