"And will not be Anxious..."

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,

And whose hope is the Lord.

For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters,
Which spreads out its roots by the river,
And will not fear when heat comes;
But its leaf will be green,
And will not be anxious in the year of drought,
Nor will cease from yielding fruit"- Jeremiah 17:7-8

There is a temptation to see the walk with God as a sprint. But, truly it is a marathon that requires endurance, perseverance, and faith to finish well. There will be times of sprinting and soaring on wings like eagles. But, then we can also expect times where it will just be walking and not growing faint -perhaps in the year of disappointment, unending challenges, or drought. The life of Christ has power to overcome these times, and His waters cause us to still bear fruit in them. Perhaps the season of drought is where you may bear the most fruit and not realize it.

Those who are called to teach are usually the ones who have the most to learn. God’s faithfulness must be proven in our own lives; we must be willing to be proven. Teachers can teach others the faithfulness of God out of the Bible, but God desires His testimony of faithfulness to be real and teachable from our own lives as well. I am able to comfort with the comfort I have received, and I cannot give what I do not have.

It is the good that opposes the best, and the soul’s greatest battle is having faith for the best. Our culture is so immediate and so impatient. It has affected all of the newest generations. We forget that is it through “patience and faith that we inherit the promises.”  It may be a good time now, but it will be the best time later. I used to see the Christian life as a sprint and expected immediate fulfillment of promises. At first, all my faith could handle was marvelous displays, visible results, and quick fulfillments. Then God deemed necessary to test and stretch me. This happened with delays, disappointments, humiliations (most needed and deserved!), and seasons of drought. I must say however, that there was never a cessation of blessing. In fact, I think I have learned to be more appreciative of blessings and more able to see them in the time of drought than ever. Though I did complain and did not always pass a test graciously, I can look back and marvel at what God has done. I can rejoice that all of it was worth it - Jesus is worth it! - and I would never change a thing.

God wants to give us a strong and believing heart in prayer. He wants to enlarge our hearts to be sensitive to the Spirit, loving, and steadfast in the storm. The greatest gift is found in the time of “disappointment.” I found that gift to be Jesus.  When all else “failed,” He stayed faithful and true. When all else was “dry,” He was the river that cooled and refreshed the depths of my thirsty soul. Jesus is the exceeding, great Reward to be had in the waiting (Genesis 15:1). It takes these times for us, as it did Abraham, to know Jesus more - not just in word or in the soaring, but in the walking and not growing faint. When Jesus becomes known to us the deep, constant lover of the soul and sustainer of abundant life.

“Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed”-1 Peter 4:12.

I found that in the year of drought, the greatest victories of the soul have been won. It can be a time of joy unspeakable, because you are able to delight yourself in the Lord without competition. The year of drought is a divine appointment with Jesus, where your heart can truly discover delighting itself in the Lord - without any earthly incentive attached. Being in it for God, because of God, and not for what we will get from Him (though "Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits"!- Psalm 103:2). Do not be anxious in the year of drought; you are chosen and blessed to endure it with Jesus. And you will not cease to bear fruit, when your hope is in the Lord. You may not see the rain coming, but it is because your roots must instead spread out deeper to find His water. Do not give up, but lean hard onto the Lord. “Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price”- Isaiah 55:1.

 Sometimes God just wants us to appreciate what we do have, and what He has already graciously and abundantly given. “Whom having not seen, you love; in whom, though now you see him not, yet believing, you rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:”- 1 Peter 1:8. 

The night is so short compared to the brightness of day, and will be soon forgotten. Rejoice, because God loves you and will perfect that which concerns you. Soon, you will be able to teach and comfort others, and you will be like one founded upon the solid Rock, tried and tested with battle scars of victory. Will you be the only person in Heaven without battle scars? I think not, but they will be a testament to God’s overcoming power and beauty of victory in the life of faith.

“Would you like to be there and see yourself pointed at as the one saint who never knew a sorrow? Oh, no! for you would be an alien in the midst of the sacred brotherhood. We will be content to share the battle, for we shall soon wear the crown and wave the palm.” –C. H. Spurgeon