For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour my Spirit upon your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants. They shall spring up among the grass like willows by flowing streams. This one will say, ‘I am the LORD’s,’ another will call on the name of Jacob, and another will write on his hand, ‘The LORD’s,’ and name himself by the name of Israel. (Isaiah 44:3–5)
Oh those times when you feel spiritually dry! You have no enthusiasm, and you cannot bring yourself to pray. You might catch yourself thinking about God, but more often than not it is in a slightly melancholy manner, wondering if you’ll ever recover the wholeheartedness of an earlier time. Months of Covid related seclusion have only served to cool the embers of the faith. Gloom breeds gloom, and to tell yourself off for feeling spiritually low is just a recipe for more spiritual lowness.
If you find yourself athirst for the living God, then the answer does not lie in looking inward. It lies in looking up. It is God who will “pour water on the thirsty land”, and who will cause you to “spring up among the grass like willows by flowing streams”. All the thirsty land had to do was to: a) be thirsty; and b) be land.
Very often I have come across Christians whose spiritual dryness has caused them to turn inward and therefore away from God. Let that not be you! The dry soil is ready to receive water, and the dry Christian to receive the Spirit of God. Here in Isaiah is a promise indeed, one to present before God in prayer. This is not a time to try and pull yourself up by your spiritual bootstraps. This is a time to simply ask and receive.
