Spiritual Drought and Times of Refreshing
Sometimes life is difficult, so much so, that our soul feels weathered and dry and our prayers flat and lifeless. We long for a fresh filling of the Holy Spirit, but no matter how long we search for that refreshment, we can only see the desert and feel the dry air of spiritually empty space. God’s voice seems muffled and our heart just can’t muster the strength to pray; we’re in a spiritual drought.
We can hope, and pray that the Lord would bring renewal- streams of revival, but finding the words to even ask Him can be a struggle. It’s hard to pray for our own heart, let alone the hearts of our sons and daughters.
It’s times like these that we need to turn to Scripture and pray the words God’s given us. He’s so generously provided rich words filled with Truth and hope, bathed in grace and saturated with mercy. His Word is always enough. And how can we be equipped to pray for our sons and daughters if we’re not immersing ourselves in the Word, allowing God to empty us of ourselves and fill us with Him? Sometimes the season of drought helps bring things into perspective. It brings to light the necessities of survival for our spiritual life: Jesus’ living water, the breath of God and the fire of the Holy Spirit…the elements of the Living God.
We need to be that tree in Psalm 1, planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Notice, the fruit comes in season…that means there are seasons without fruit. That’s okay. It doesn’t mean we’re ineffective. It doesn’t mean we’re broken. We haven’t stepped out of His will so that He’s removing His hand of blessing. No, though the tree might ‘look’ dead, its roots are deep and the branches are preparing for another season of growth. So, too, God allows us to go through dry seasons as He prepares us for another time of growth. Consider the maple tree. In the dead of winter, when the forest is brown and brittle, the maple tree begins to run its sap. The sweetest product of the tree comes when it ‘appears’ to be lifeless. So, too, God can bring sweetness out of our drought-ridden times.
The Law of the LORD is perfect, refreshing the soul (Ps 19.7).
So, today, take time to soak in the Word of God. Let His words fill you and saturate your soul with His living water. Pray Scripture back to Him. Be refreshed by His Word.
As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. Ps 42:1-2,11
I waited patiently for the Lord ; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord . Psalm 40:1-3 1
O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water. I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands. My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you. Ps 63:1-5
Why not share, in the comments, other scripture that’s spoken to you. Let’s encourage one another on to faithfulness and joy! Be encouraged, friends, times of refreshing are coming!
Pray without ceasing.
Pray for Sharpening
It was always my father’s job to cut the meat, whether it be the Thanksgiving turkey or the Sunday roast. I remember how he would open the knife drawer and look through, pushing some aside looking for ‘that one’ that would do the job.
There were knives in the drawer that were the favorites and then there were those that were hardly ever used. The former had a nice blade, the latter was dull and almost useless. Dad would pull out a knife and inspect the blade. Then, if his chosen knife needed to be sharpened, he would take hold of the long wand-like tool that was textured and rough. It sat in the drawer alongside all of the knives.
As I watched him, Dad would swipe the blade of the knife back and forth along the sharpening tool, both sides, up and down, back and forth. It would make a scraping sound that was rhythmic and musical and it required that he was attentive to the process. The friction and abrasion of the knife edge against the rough, textured tool made the knife sharp and ready. Once he was finished, the knife was sharper than ever and ready to use. He would give it a quick polish and then set into the carving of the meat.
The knife sharpening rod went back into the drawer. Interestingly, though the rod always stayed in there with all of the knives, proximity to the sharpener did not mean all the knives remained sharp. It was only when a knife interacted with the rod that the knife experienced sharpening and was ready for the task it was created to do. Proverbs 27:17 “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.” Iron only sharpens iron when there is friction and different textures or edges interact with each other to refine and define one another. If the items are identical, sharpening won’t occur.
If we surround ourselves with people who only agree with us, who think alike all the time, who don’t challenge us, guess what? We become dull, myopic, and insular. If we’re honest, we can become selfish, thinking that our way is the right way because everyone around us thinks so too. If we’re not challenged at all, we lose our sharpness. But when we encounter those who think differently, who may worship differently, who stretch us to think about why we believe what we do, we are ‘sharpened’. The friction wears down the parts of us that would cause us to be dull and ineffective and sharpens the edges of our resolve and conviction. No, it isn’t pleasant, but the alternative is even less appealing because it alludes to spiritual dullness. It doesn’t mean we become like the other…the knife didn’t become the sharpening rod. But instead, it became a better version of what it was created to be.
As parents, we don’t like to see our sons and daughters experiencing discomfort or pain. We don’t enjoy seeing them face difficult things. Our ‘momma heart’ aches to see them struggle. Our natural reaction might be to try and ease the situation, soothe the irritation, or fix the problem. Yet, would we interfere with God’s work in their life? Consider this, that friction, discomfort and irritation they are experiencing might be God’s way of smoothing out their rough edges. It might be God’s brake pedal, slowing them down so they don’t rush into something that is not His will or giving them space so they can hear His voice and see His hand. Maybe God needs to soften their heart and sharpen their mind so they are ready for what He brings next. Godly friction can bring rewards.
Let’s pray for some sharpening friction in the lives of our sons and daughters. Let’s pray that they can have perspective on the process and gratitude that the Lord is preparing them for what’s next. And let’s pray that we, as parents, have perspective too- not feeling the urge to step in and fix it, but to pray that God uses it for their good and for His glory.
“Father, I pray for (name) today. I know things are difficult…or maybe soon will be. Give (name) strength to endure and perspective to understand that You are enthroned as the Holy One (Ps. 22:3) and that You use difficult circumstances and people to refine us and sharpen us. No one, no thing, no event, or authority can interfere with Your plan and purpose, nor will it ever be out of Your control. That’s a comfort, Lord.”
“I pray for sharpening in (name)’s life. I pray that You would bring people and events into their life that would stretch them, teach them, and make them more like Christ. Refine them to be what You created them to be. Challenge their thinking, Lord, so that they know what they believe and why. Sharpen them so they would live their faith with conviction, regardless of the responses or reactions of those around them. Lord, let them be a ‘sharp knife’ that is willing to experience friction because they know it prepares them for what You are calling them to do. Don’t let them sit dull and idle, unusable because they’re unwilling to be sharpened. Let (name) crave Your sharpening because they know it will equip them to be used in effective ways to accomplish Your will for their good and Your glory. In Jesus’ name, amen.”
Pray without ceasing.
Check Your Roots
Colossians 2:6-7 “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.”
As parents, we’re burdened to see our sons and daughters continue walking with the Lord and growing in their spiritual lives and understanding. We want to see them living the abundant life! We want them to live victoriously in a world that seeks to drag them down. How can we pray to that end more effectively?
The Apostle Paul, in Colossians, encourages us with several directives that are aimed at strengthening our spiritual walk and protecting us from the enemy.. The first is to “continue” to live our lives in Him. That word “continue” is the word “peripateo'' in Greek and it means to walk, to make one’s way, to progress or conduct oneself (1). It’s the word from which we get the word ‘perpetual’. So if we’re continuing in Christ it means that we are growing in our faith and our lives exemplify a continued progression toward Christ and toward becoming like Him. It doesn’t stop. We can not be static. We’re not to be passive. So our first point of prayer this week is that our sons and daughters would continue to walk with the Lord and grow in Him.
But that’s not all. We’re told to be rooted. “Rhizoo” (2) is the Greek word for “rooted” and it means to be planted…not just set or placed like plastic flowers stuck in a garden. We’re to be firmly rooted, growing, digging our roots in and blossoming gloriously, bearing fruit. We do that by digging deeply into the Word- not just listening and walking away, but taking it in and letting it change us, strengthen us and make us firm in our faith. We want deep roots, not shallow wimpy ones. Prayer point number two is that our sons and daughters would have strong, healthy roots and that the ‘fertilizer’ they apply would be spiritually organic- straight from the Word and poured out by the Holy Spirit.
The next directive is to be built up in Him. Note that it’s not just a general “building up”, but being built up in HIM. The Greek, epoikodomeo (3), defines this as being built upon. Have you ever seen a beautiful majestic tree that was uprooted by a storm? Although the tree looked sturdy, the roots spread broadly, but not deeply. It lacked a strong foundation. Whatever it chose to dig its roots into and around wasn’t strong enough to allow the tree to stand in the storm. When the storm came through, the tree was quickly toppled over. The whole thing was uprooted and what was left after the storm gave evidence that the tree lacked healthy roots... The ‘surface’ beauty of the tree belied the weakness of its foundation.
Our lives are the dwelling place of Christ. We need a good foundation for our faith, but we need to be built in Him as well so that our lives reflect His Presence. As parents, we likely laid the foundation with our children. But now it falls on them to build upon it and make it their own according to the guidelines provided in Scripture- God’s building code.. Pray that our sons and daughters continue to grow and build their faith with solid teaching and wise understanding of the Word.
Finally, Paul encourages us to be ‘established’ or made firm and sure and abounding with thanksgiving. If we’re established, we are strong in our faith and we’ll be overflowing with gratitude for the Lord’s blessings and the certainty of His promises. If we’re growing, we’ll be overflowing!
So today, let’s take some time to pray these things over our sons and daughters…and ourselves and the whole Body of believers. Let’s overflow with thankfulness because the Lord doesn’t stop working in us but continues until He completes that good work He started in us!!
“Father, thank you for the promises in Your Word that encourage us and show us the way we should go. I pray that You would help (name) today to continue to walk in You. Lord, help them to stick to the narrow way and not veer off toward the wide road that leads to destruction (Mt 7:14). Give them good teaching and healthy spiritual friendships and discipleship that will build their foundation and allow them to be properly planted. Help them to flourish and bear fruit. Lord, I pray that they would be established both in their own quiet time and in Church. Give them relationships that would sharpen and encourage them and help them to overflow with thanksgiving for all that You’ve done and will continue to do. I pray this in Jesus’ name, Amen.”
Pray Without Ceasing.
G4043 - peripateō - Strong's Greek Lexicon (kjv). Retrieved from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g4043/kjv/tr/0-1/
G4492 - rhizoō - Strong's Greek Lexicon (kjv). Retrieved from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g4492/kjv/tr/0-1/
G2026 - epoikodomeō - Strong's Greek Lexicon (kjv). Retrieved from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g2026/kjv/tr/0-1/
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