Desert Times

Desert Times

O God, you are my God; I earnestly search for you. My soul thirsts for you; my whole body longs for you in this parched and weary land where there is no water.

Psalm 63:1

The LORD will guide you continually, giving you water when you are dry and restoring your strength. You will be like a well-watered garden, like an ever-flowing spring.

Isaiah 58:11

Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, “Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.”

John 7:38

Has there ever been a drought where you live—a period of time when there is not enough rain, so everything dries up and turns brown? Just as nature goes through times of dryness, most Christians go through some times of dryness in their relationship with God. In times of spiritual drought, our souls feel lifeless, with no sense of nourishing connection to God. There’s no new growth. We feel like we’re just going through the motions of our faith.

The reality is that almost every person in the Bible who was used significantly by God went through a dry, desert time. Think about it: Moses in the desert with God’s people for forty years (See Exodus 16:1-3). Elijah sitting under the broom tree in the desert wanting to die (See 1 Kings 19:3-5). Jesus being tempted in the desert wilderness (See Matthew 4:1-3). Being in a place where we are dry—waiting, wanting, praying, examining—is often a place of getting prepared and proving our faith.

Sometimes God is preparing us for hardship, sometimes for blessing. Usually he is preparing us so he can use us. Spiritual dryness calls for perseverance and persistence in seeking after God. In the desert, we wait for him to pour out on us new joy, new intimacy, new insights, and a fresh experience with him.

DISCUSSION STARTERS

Have you ever been in a desert before or seen one on TV? What was it like?

Why do you think God uniquely uses times of spiritual dryness to prepare us to be used by him?

What should a person who feels spiritually dry do?