We all pass through times when it seems like the Lord is nowhere to be seen, he isn’t speaking, and we really aren’t sure if what we do has any meaning. Spiritual droughts are frustrating. Maybe you were excited as the Holy Spirit spoke some great promises to your heart. As the months… and years went on… things happen. The next thing you know it seems like you’re spending 40 years far out in the wilderness like Moses (Exodus 2-4). You’ve had some great victories, but all of a sudden it seems hopeless and you’re running like Elijah (1 Kings 19). As restlessness sets in, we can be tempted to kick a few doors open. To make something happen. Remember Abram and Sarai (Genesis 16)? That didn’t go so well.
In times of spiritual drought, it is important to stay the course, to remain faithful to the last words, the last instructions, the Lord spoke to you. Even though it seems like He’s a million miles away, it is important to draw nearer to the Lord and allow the roots of your faith to grow deeper. This feels so counterintuitive. We may not sense the Lord’s presence, but He is there drawing us into a deeper relationship. He is a faithful father who gives good gifts to His kids. Sometimes us kids get more focused on the gifts than the Father who gives them. Sometimes we get more focused on the calling than the one who gave the call. It is actually God’s mercy that brings the drought and draws us back to the One who gives life. His refining fire – or root deepening drought – purifies our hearts and brings us back to the most valuable calling of all… that we love the Lord our God with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our mind (Matthew 22:37).