Wilderness Seasons and Seasons of Drought

Isaiah 54:6 - "For I, Yahweh, have invited you to come back like a depressed, deserted wife. Like a young wife who has experienced rejection, I am drawing you back to Me," says Yahweh. (TPT)

As I read this verse today, it reminded me how so many of us began the new year with a sense of urgency to return to our first love. Many spoke of the need to abide in God and draw nearer to Him, to seek His face and His heart with all our being. When I think back over all that has happened in the past eight months, I can see how God was preparing us for this Wilderness Season (Desert Season) and Season of Drought. He knew the only way we could survive this season was to seek shelter in Him. When you are in a wilderness or desert, it is easy to lose your way. Everything looks the same and there seems to be no way out. You may begin to wander aimlessly, getting nowhere. But, if you use a map and a compass, you can safely navigate your way out of the dark places.

The same is true in our Spiritual Walk. When we ask God to show us where we are (be our map) and to lead us in the way we are to go (be our compass), He will lead us out of the darkest valleys. It is easy to get discouraged, to give up, and get lost and stuck in the Wilderness Seasons in life. In Exodus, we see the Israelites became stuck on a trek through the wilderness. Their journey should have taken less than a couple of months, but because of their response to the season they were in, they became stuck in that season for 40 years. God was there with them just as He is with us now; but they became discouraged, disheartened, and disobedient. God wanted to prepare them for His "next step" for them and many of them missed it because of their responses to their Wilderness Season.

In the Wilderness Seasons and Seasons of Drought, we must be diligent to stay connected to the Source of Living Water so our Spiritual Wells will not run dry. In John 4:13-14 and John 7, Christ tells us He is the Source of Living Water and those who drink from this well will never thirst again. Water is crucial in the desert and during a drought. It is the source of life for so many things. I have a Christmas cactus and I am not always great at remembering to water it. When it has plenty of water, the leaves are full and dark green and new shoots begin to grow. When I forget to water it for a while, the leaves become flat and yellow and even may fall off. There is death instead of life. Our Spirits are like this plant. When we stay connected to God (even in dry seasons), our Spirits are full of life and growing. When we do not daily draw from the Well of Living Water, our Spirits begin to dry up and the darkness begins to creep in - killing, stealing, and destroying what we need to continue to move forward and grow.

In Wilderness Seasons and Seasons of Drought, nothing seems to grow. You may not see new growth or fruit in this season. Often these are seasons of preparation for a Season of Abundance. When the Israelites came out of the desert, they entered into the Promised Land and they encountered miraculous breakthroughs: rivers parted, walls collapsed. and enemies were defeated. I believe just like the Wilderness Season of the Israelites, our current season is preparing us for a Season of Fruitfulness and a Great Harvest. We will see miracles transpire, enemies defeated, and obstacles fall down.

The only way out of a Wilderness Season is through it - to walk it out. I know right now, the current season may seem unending and everlasting. But the truth is the only thing that is everlasting is our Great God. This season will come to an end and a new season will be ushered in. God is a master of sudden unexpected turnarounds. Until we break through the other side of this Wilderness Season, continue to walk purposely through it with God at your side, daily drawing from the Well of Living Water, and expecting the breakthrough. I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength with God by my side who promises to never leave me nor forsake me and guides my steps through the Holy Spirit within me.

Don't give up my dear friend. Breakthrough is ahead!