When the Rain Doesn’t Fall

At the time of writing this Seed, the United Kingdom and much of Europe and North America have been experiencing a prolonged time of very hot and dry weather. It’s been a blessing to see blue skies and feel the warmth of the sun and not be forever taking a waterproof coat with you when you go out, especially in the northwest of England where I live. But as this heat wave has continued, it’s become a source of concern to water companies, farmers and the fire fighters, who’re called out to fight the wild fires that can start so easily when the land and vegetation is parched.

When you read the Bible, God often speaks very clearly through the weather, and the withholding of rain from the land doesn’t usually indicate His blessing. It often indicates the opposite, His displeasure. Certainly, in the United Kingdom, and in many other nations, much is being done within government and judicial systems which arrogantly challenges and disregards God’s laws, and the very sanctity of life itself. I must admit that, so far, in the current weather conditions or any other national concerns, I haven’t heard any political leaders taking God’s advice in today’s scripture and calling their nation to pray and seek His face.

Just as the blessing of rain can be withheld from a land, sometimes God’s blessing can be absent from our lives. If we’re honest, those spiritual drought times can occur when we wander from the Lord in wilful sin, but they can also be the result of prolonged times of testing or suffering, when our faith seems to wither, and our hearts become dry and weary.

Whatever the cause of our desert experience, we can turn again to the Lord. He’s full of grace and mercy, and He longs to soften and revive our hearts by His Holy Spirit and send us times of refreshing and renewed fruitfulness. He encourages us to put all our trust in Him, so that we can continue to bear fruit, even in times of drought.

‘But blessed are those who trust in the LORD and have made the LORD their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit’ (Jeremiah 17:7-8, NLT.)

Prayer: Lord, help me to walk closely with You, to hide Your Word in my heart and to put my roots deep into the soil of Your marvellous love, so I can continue to bear fruit in every season of my life. In Your name, I pray. Amen.