Parched Ground

Psalm 63:1, "O God, you are my God; I earnestly search for you. My soul thirsts for you; my whole body longs for you in this parched and weary land where there is no water."

Those of us who live in the desert really understand how desperate the land can get for rain. Dust storms are prevalent when the ground has gone without rain for long periods of time. Even the slightest breeze can kick up a cloud of dust.

The same is true in our spiritual lives.  When we go for prolonged periods is time without spending time in the Lord's presence we become parched spiritually. David wrote, Psalm 42:1, "As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God." We too must long for God with such yearning.

If we are not spending time in the Word, prayer, and in the presence of the Lord, we will become like the dry ground, blown by any wind of doctrine or blown over by the cares of life.  Ephesians 4:14, “Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth.”  Proverbs 10:25, “When the storms of life come, the wicked are whirled away, but the godly have a lasting foundation.” 

Genesis tells us the sad story of the “fall of man.”  Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7, “The Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it. But the Lord God warned him, “You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden—except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die.”  “The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the Lord God had made. One day he asked the woman, “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?”  “Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,” the woman replied. “It’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, ‘You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.’”  “You won’t die!” the serpent replied to the woman. “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.” The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too. At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves.”

The enemy’s primary tactic for leading us astray is to twist the truth just a bit.  If the truth is twisted only a little, it is totally a lie.  God told Adam, “You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden—except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die.”   Then the serpent came along and twisted the words of God just a bit, putting a question in as well.  “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?” God had only told Adam that the tree of Knowledge was off limits.  Satan came in to “question” Eve about eating from any tree.  Once Eve entertained this question/thought she was hooked.  Listen to her response, “Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,” the woman replied. “It’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, ‘You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.’”   Eve responded like many of us do when questioned about things God says, we add to His Word to emphasis our point. God never said anything about touching the fruit, just eating it.  When she added her own words, she was diving deeper into the thought and thus toward sin.  Then Satan countered with the lie that death would not be imminent.  He implied that God was holding out on her because He knew that she would become like Him if she ate the fruit.  “You won’t die!” the serpent replied to the woman. “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.”  A few rightly places lies/deceptions and Eve was hooked, “The woman was convinced.” If Eve, who literally, physically, walked with God daily, was able to deceived by the twisting of the truth, how much more can we be deceived? 

We must not allow our spirits to become parched from lack of time with Christ.  If we do we will not have anything hidden in our hearts to combat the lies the enemy will throw at us.  We cannot continue to live a life of mediocrity.  Time is too short for playing games with our faith.   God always provides a way for his children to learn and understand the truth, but we must take those opportunities when they come. 

Our first line of defense is to spend time alone in the secret place with the Father in prayer and reading the Word.  Galatians 6:9, “So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.”  Often we grow tired of seeking, asking, and knocking, but we must not give up.  Reaping implies that there is a harvest and a harvest can only come when water is applied to the soil to enrich the plants.  Our soil will not grow parched if we continually spend time with the Father.  Our second defense is Christian fellowship and accountability.  We must work together to encourage and exhort each other.  1 Corinthians 3:6, “I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow.” Here Paul is illustrating the need for each of us to minister to others and do our part for the Kingdom.  We never know if we are planting or watering, but without both, there is nothing for God to make grow. We may be adding water to a very parched life and in so doing saving a soul from eternal separation from Christ or we may be giving a weak soul the nourishment he/she needs to keep standing tall another day. 

We do not do this on our own, the Word tells us, in Isaiah, that when the Messiah comes he will bring healing, streams in the desert, and will satisfy the thirsty land.  When the presence of the Holy God meets our spirits, we will be healed and refreshed like the parched ground after a good rain. Isaiah 35:5-7, “And then he comes, he will open the eyes of the blind and unplug the ears of the deaf. The lame will leap like a deer, and those who cannot speak will sing for joy! Springs will gush forth in the wilderness, and streams will water the wasteland. The parched ground will become a pool, and springs of water will satisfy the thirsty land. Marsh grass and reeds and rushes will flourish where desert jackals once lived.”

Be encouraged dear friend, God longs to water the soil of our lives, if we will only spend time with him! 

Time With God

By Melissa Larabee

My time with God is important to Him, and very valuable to me.

It’s in those times His voice I hear, and there His love I see.

He holds me close with gentle arms, and draws me ever near.

I love my time alone with God, my Savoir is so dear.

Oft’ times I fail to meet with Him, my time seems stretched so thin.

I miss out on His strength and power, the battles I could win.

Instead I try to carry the load, the weight is hard to bear.

If I spend my time alone with Him, He provides for every care.

He longs for moments of my time, I choose to give Him alone.

I must remember in His arms, I am always safe at home.

Drawing near to God is always sweet, the peace, and joy, and rest. 

Spending time with Him each and every day, reminds me how much I’m blessed.

Why do I miss my times with Him, I really cannot say.

But as I do the cares of life grow greater every day.

Staying away is telling my Lord, “I can do life on my own.”

The longer I miss my times with Him, the further my heart gets from home.

Without His comfort and His love, my life is not complete.

When will I learn, like Mary, just to sit at Jesus’ feet?

“Stay close to me, my precious child, your burdens I will bear,

As you learn to sit and rest, you can release your every care.

My yoke is easy, my burden’s light, my arms always outstretched,

I long for my children to come to me and find their place of rest.”

All Scripture is NLT unless otherwise stated.