We live in the desert. Things are mostly dry, sometimes lifeless. Refreshing rain is scarce. Sometimes, we go through extended dry spells " drought " when we long for, hope for, and pray for moisture. One year it was so dry they closed two lanes of our public swimming pool. It was so dry the cows were giving powdered milk.
Enough of the dry humor! In life, too, we often go through dry spells. Many feel that right now economically. There are job related dry spells when things just aren't progressing or, even worse, we lose the job. From time to time, there certainly are dry spells in our relationships and families.
For the Christian too there are dry spells. There are those times we don't feel we're getting the sustenance we need. Church life is a drag. Services are boring. We become spiritually dry and lifeless.
In a recent study of some "dry" Biblical texts (please forgive the pun), I discovered some interesting things to remember during those spells.
1. Psalm 63:1 " Dry times should make us thirsty for God.
2. Isaiah 41:18 " God can reverse dry times.
3. Job 42:2-6 " Dry times can bring great discovery
4. Habakkuk 3:16-19 " There are worse things than dry times
These passages teach us some good lessons. Spiritual victory can come through a desert experience. In God's hands, dry spells can change. Spiritual development can result from bad times. Having no God, no hope, no faith, and no joy are worse than dry spells. In dry spells, we can still hang on and even find reasons to rejoice.
For the apostles, I'm sure that Friday and Saturday was the worst dry spell ever. Questions, frustrations, and doubt made them tempted to give up. Yet Sunday came, Jesus rose, and the meaning of the cross became apparent. Dry spells can change us too " for the better.
- Bruce Henderson is pastor of the Airport Road Church of Christ and is a member of the Carson City Christian Ministerial Fellowship.