Sunday, April 30, 2017

A Dry and Weary Land

by Hallie Gipson

“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.”  Psalm 63:1

Psalm 63 is one of my favorite Psalms! It has ministered to me when I’ve been in a spiritual desert and there is a lack of refreshing.

Perhaps you’ve been there, too –- stuck in the sands of apathy and unable to navigate the days without a great deal of effort. To keep up with the daily chores is a must, and yet there is no drive to do so. It reminds me of a line from a Dr. Seuss book that says, “. . . and all we could do was to sit, sit, sit, sit.”

At times the ‘desert’ has been of my own making, and at other times unpleasant circumstances and situations have been thrust on me by others.  My physical body becomes weary from emotional stress. I know I need to pray and praise and intercede for those in need, but I open God’s Word and jump from passage to passage with no sharp focus.  My feeble prayers don’t seem to make it past the ceiling. I keep saying to myself, “if I just write that over-due letter, or get a good night’s sleep, or focus on ministry tasks, then I will be able to drag myself out of the desert and regain my focus”. (Hmmm, I see a pattern in that conversation with ‘self’ that is centered on what I can do!)  

Before I know it, I am at the end of ‘self’ and crying out to God for His life-giving water! The only answer is to “sit, sit, sit, sit” at the Lord’s feet! That is ALWAYS the answer at any time and in any season of life! 

Psalm 36:9 says, “For with You is the fountain of life . . .”   I don’t have to be ‘thirsty’ because the Lord’s water is life-giving!  

“The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost.”  Revelation 22:17


Holy Father, my praise is that of the Psalmist – “Because your love is better than life, my lips will praise 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 richest of foods and with singing lips my mouth will praise You.”  (Psalm 63:3-5)

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