Spiritually Dry in a Parched Land

Lately, I have been feeling spiritually dry, and I have been missing the seasons in my life where I could hear God clearly at every turn, even though life had been full of roadblocks.  This dryness did not just happen, but gradually crept in as the cares of this world burdened my soul.  My perspective of the refiner’s fire has become skewed and although I hypocritically tell folks not to quit the fire, I am ready to give up as God walks me through these intense flames that make this parched land even more torrid and tortuous adding to my torment.

I have been meditating on this verse that I gave my children in the discipleship program to memorize. You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water. Psalms 63:1 NIV

There is a longing in my soul for God as I look around for a place of spiritual refreshment, which seems to be a scarcity these days. Therefore, I have had to dig deep to seek God and worship Him, knowing that He inhabits the praises of His people, and I want to be His habitation. I desire to be the place where His Spirit is welcome.  Although most times, my being His dwelling place may not look too inviting because of my constant whining and complaining.  Hey, at least I am confessing it, and confession is good for the soul.

David underwent many hardships during his lifetime. Constantly on the run from those who were close to him.  He hid out in caves and faced overwhelming circumstances, yet he did not remain defeated spiritually. He was an overcomer and looked to the Lord to turn his mourning into dancing, and to remove his sackcloth and give him joy instead (see Psalm 30:11). David knew how to praise his Lord, notwithstanding the dryness and weariness of the land. 

O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly; My soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You, In a dry and weary land where there is no water.  Thus I have seen You in the sanctuary, To see Your power and Your glory.  Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, My lips will praise You.  So I will bless You as long as I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name.  My soul is satisfied as with marrow and fatness, And my mouth offers praises with joyful lips.  When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches,  For You have been my help, And in the shadow of Your wings I sing for joy. Psalms 63:1-7 NASB

 I usually put a video of one of my poems in my posts, 

but I figured this video would be much more appropriate.

I have had to let this entire passage sink into the depths of my soul.  I want that marrow and fatness that David had because it is the fatness that breaks the yokes.  So it will be in that day, that his burden will be removed from your shoulders and his yoke from your neck, and the yoke will be broken because of fatness. Isaiah 10:27

But notice, this fatness occurs in the midst of David seeing God’s power and glory, and knowing that His lovingkindness is better than life.  His lips were praising the Lord and his hands were lifted in worship, albeit, the land was still dry and weary, and there was no water.  But, David yearned for the Living Water and he found Him in his praise and in his nightly meditations, where the Lord was his help and protection. 

So in my dry and parched land, I will lift tired hands to worship the Lord and praise Him with every ounce of energy I have left from my lips.  I will continue seeking Him earnestly to guide me through the fiery furnace as I hold on and not give up, knowing that if I persevere, streams of Living Water will flow out of my belly and refresh others.  I want to be like the ones in Revelation 7 who come out of the great tribulation having washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.  I just realized they were the ones doing the washing.  I choose to wash my robe and make it white in the blood of the Lamb, but this can only be done through the purifying of suffering.  This isn’t easy, but that is why I must stick to the Lord, because there isn’t anything too hard for Him. 

And, I know that if we all persevere through the tribulation, we will triumph and we will hunger no longer, nor thirst anymore; nor will the sun beat down on us, nor any heat; for the Lamb in the center of the throne will be our shepherd, and will guide us to springs of the water of life; and God will wipe every tear from our eyes. (Revelations 7:15-16)

Our land may be parched and wearisome right now, but we have a hope in things not seeing, knowing that the Lord, even though things may look dried up at this time, will make rivers flow on barren heights, and springs within the valleys and turn the desert into pools of water, and the parched ground into springs. Isaiah 41:18 NIV