The Well Has Run Dry

Today, the well has run dry. I decided to go back into time to read an older blog post about spiritual dryness and emptiness. (it is below) Have you ever felt like the well is dry inside of you? Today, I'm tired, distracted with little focus and clarity. I am reminded of the desert experiences that so many biblical people had along their journeys. I'm especially reminded of Elijah a days journey into the desert sitting under a broom tree in 1 Kings 19--dried up and worn out. He had just defeated all the prophets of Baal and went from the mountain top to a dried up valley. It is so much like our lives that go from such great mountaintops to such valley deadness.

Elijah says to God in 1 Kings 19:4: "I've had enough Lord..." Been there? Dried up, burnt out, and tired. In this place, Elijah gives his entire being all up to God, and falls asleep. It is in that place that God finds a reservoir of love and mercy to sustain Elijah. He is fed with food and water, and strength for the future. He travels 40 days and 40 nights, and miraculously makes it back up to experience a mountaintop vision with God again. And, God speaks into his heart a new vision that creates a well-spring for his soul.

So, today, I sit, and wait, under my broom tree and will find rest. The dryness is offset by the encouraging sound of rain outside.

------

Desert. Wilderness. Dry spot. I’ve spent a lot of time in the desert in my life.

Today I feel like the well has run dry. I don’t feel real creative. I feel tired and a little worn out. I’m trying to muster energy. I’m trying deeper than ever to listen to God.

I think we all go through dry times—desert times. In the Bible, the desert was a wilderness. A dangerous place where animals and wild creatures ran rampant. A dangerous place. A place where you go to God and trust him even deeper. The desert was a place for wandering Jews to be molded by God for 40 years before they entered the promised land. It was also a place of temptation for Jesus who fasted for 40 days as he faced the devil’s empty promises. The desert was the place where John the Baptist prepared the way for Jesus as he sat on Jordan River’s banks.

Being molded by God. Temptation to sell out or give up when you are hungry and tired. Preparing the way for God to go even deeper in us and others. Wow, I like that. Maybe the desert isn’t as dry as I thought. Maybe God is preparing a deeper place to take root in us to prepare the way for others. Telling us that faith isn’t always a feeling, but a deeper trust and conviction. That our God is alive even in the deserts of our lives.

It is interesting why I was thinking about the desert, because all of a sudden it is raining like crazy outside.

Taking the lead on this idea of the desert, here are some verses for today:
Matthew 3:1-6 John preparing the way in the desert
Luke 4:1-15 Jesus Tempted in the desert wilderness
Exodus 16:35-17:1 Israel in the desert wilderness 40 years
Psalms 78:40-53 He brought his people out like a flock, he led them like sheep through the desert