Spiritual Drought (1)
When summer comes with its higher temperatures, so also comes the possibility of heat exhaustion. A lack of hydration and increased exposure to the elements can leave a person in a dangerous physical condition. Heat exhaustion carries many parallels to spiritual exhaustion. A lack of spiritual hydration (the Word) and increased exposure to the elements (our worldly culture) can leave a person in a dangerous spiritual condition.
Look at the words of Psalm 143:4, 6: “Therefore is my spirit overwhelmed within me; my heart within me is desolate . . . I stretch forth my hands unto thee: my soul thirsteth after thee, as a thirsty land. Selah.”
The author of Psalm 143 is David, the man after God’s own heart, reminding us that spiritually-parched souls are common among people who are spiritually minded. Because spiritually-minded people have experienced well-watered souls, they know when their soul is parched. Our church is filled with spiritually-minded people. It is common for me to hear you request prayer for your own walk with God or to articulate a desire for a deeper relationship with God. Take heart that missionary biographies and the Psalms both describe countless people just like us who desired refreshment for their spiritually-parched souls.
But as we look for this refreshment, we must be sure we’re not turning to artificial refreshments, those things like pouring our efforts into projects, acquiring things, pursuing relationships, and enjoying leisure—all of which have an ability to distract us and provide a sense of refreshment; but in the end, they can leave us even thirstier. Solomon is a great example of a man who turned to artificial refreshments and concluded in the book of Ecclesiastes that all of those pursuits left him empty and vain.
So, what is a right solution to spiritual dehydration? Look at the first phrase in Psalm 143:6: “I stretch forth my hands unto thee.” David sought the Lord! He didn’t turn to artificial stimulants. He devoted his efforts to getting help from God. This also means that he didn’t just turn to things that told him to turn to God. He went directly to God! I point this out, because I have found myself sometimes using Christian books, sermons, even church attendance to quench my spiritual thirst; but in the end, those things kept telling me the same thing: God is the solution! Those spiritual things are not wrong pursuits in and of themselves; we just need to remember that even spiritual things can’t quench what God says that only He can do.
David’s phrase “I stretch forth my hands” is a physical act that illustrates his spiritual cry to the Lord. David spoke directly to God, through prayer, about his condition and asked God to water his soul. The Psalmist models that an appropriate solution for a dry soul is to spend long periods of time with God in prayer.
If your spiritual life is feeling dry and parched, then carve out a significant period of time this week and just pray! A long season of prayer may feel like a much-needed rain storm for your soul.
Ron Perry is the pastor of Faith Baptist Church of Folsom, California.
This post first appeared on the Faith Baptist Church blog page, and we republish with his permission.
Photo by YODA Adaman on Unsplash and Photo by Jong Marshes on Unsplash