Blog Archive

Monday, October 3, 2011

Season of Drought

O God, You are my God;
Early will I seek You;
My soul thirsts for You;
My flesh longs for You
In a dry and thirsty land
Where there is no water.
~ Psalm 63:1 (NKJV)

Photo credit: ABC news (click here for drought slide show)


The heartbreaking photos of devastation in Texas due to a season of drought are a poignant reminder of the planet's dependence on water.

Nestled between the Great Lakes, I may never know drought here in Michigan. Yet my well could run dry. Our water supply could easily become (or be) contaminated. It's a long walk for water if I ever have to actually draw it out of a lake or river. I cannot afford to take my water supply for granted.

The Bible shows that God has always used drought to call people to remember dependence on Him for sustenance. Some people might call drought judgment. I see it as mercy. The more dependent we become on the Lord for the water needed by both our bodies and by our souls, the closer we will draw to Him, and the more we will experience life.

The woman said to Him, "Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw."
~ John 4:15 (NKJV)

The woman at the well wished to avoid thirst and the need to draw. But Jesus says instead, to her and each one of us, "Thirst! Yes, thirst, that I you may come to Me and drink. Come! Yes, come here and draw—draw closer to Me."

God forbid that we should not thirst!

El Shaddai, God Almighty, You are giver of all life. We are utterly dependent on You. Please let each of us recognize where there we experience a season of drought in our lives, that we might come and receive living water from You.

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This post is part of the "One Word at a Time" blog carnival hosted by Peter Pollock. You're invited to visit his site and see what others are saying about today's one-word theme: Season


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Copyright 2011, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.

10 comments:

  1. She was very brave - I don't think most people talked like her. She was almost mocking, but the longing for someone to just give her something that she didn't have to fight for... that is in all of us. My heart hurts, "listening" to hers.

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  2. I love Psalm 63:1. You're right that most people see drought as judgment. But mercy? That takes a mature perspective. Thank you for sharing this with us. Thirsting for Jesus is a great thing.

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  3. Kelly, I think the woman at the well's courage was born of desperation.

    My heart hurts at your words, of longing for something not fought for. But then, perhaps it is only when God meets us at our point of exhaustion, as He did her, that we are ready to receive from Him what He offers. Until then, we seem determined to strive for things of this world, which ultimately let us down. What we have here brings contentment when we first find satisfaction in Him.

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  4. Lisa, I don't know if it's maturity that finds mercy. Again, as I said to Kelly, I think it may be a perspective birthed in the pit of desperation. Lamentations 3:22-23 says:
    Through the LORD's mercies we are not consumed,
    Because His compassions fail not.
    They are new every morning;
    Great is Your faithfulness.


    Jeremiah found the Lord's mercy as he saw his beseiged city was laid waste, as his people starved to the point of cannibalism, as he was himself taken captive. As I look at the world, I sometimes wonder how the Lord can allow the extremes of horror that humanity fosters upon humanity. In disasters, I hear the Lord calling people to repent, anxious to show mercy before His wrath is poured out.

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  5. In that story, after her thirst is quenched, she runs back to share the story with everyone. She shares the cure for a drought. And they listened.

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  6. How true it is that if we did not thirst, we would not appreciate the fresh, clean, sparkling, refreshing, water that God gives to us. May it ever spring up within us so that we do not thirst except for more!

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  7. Jennifer, I hadn't anticipated the wonderful time I'm having as I've been picking this passage apart. There are many wonderful twists in it. I love every one.

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  8. Hazel Moon, I heartily 'amen!' a prayer I am confident God wants to answer with a 'yes!' :D

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  9. It's in knowing and recognizing the thirst that we become satisfied...thirst, drought-- almost as love from a merciful God pleading with us, "Listen! I am what you need!" I also like how you continue this story in your next post about the woman at the well. That passage with Jesus and the woman at the well is revealing and intriguing, I love that story. Enjoying your thoughts!
    (And by the way, I'm near the Great Lakes too, in WI. One thing I haven't seen much around here is drought, we're usually awash in water. Once in the winter my kids and I talked about how we wished we could send snow down via train or truck to areas that needed water! :)

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  10. Anna, we learn to squelch and ignore and tolerate thirst, until we no longer recognize how severly we're dehydrated, spiritually. We cannot chase God too passionately or with too much perseverance—He is too big!

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