One of my favorite newer songs as of late is “Sky Spills Over” by Michael W. Smith. The song starts out with the line “There’s a rose in the desert, Blooming red in the drought”. As I listen to this song I go to a place of thinking about how we all have seasons in the desert of our lives. Maybe you have waited a very long time for something and you still haven’t seen God work for you. Maybe it’s the doldrums of life that seems to last forever without the breakthrough of God’s blessings. That song for me inspires a cry to God for rain so that the withered and dry parts of my soul can be replenished and once again see blooms and blossoms. But that first line of the song haunts me. Maybe we’re called to be that rose blooming in the middle of the drought in the desert seasons of life.
As I was studying for this devotion I was led first to these verses.
“The wilderness and the wasteland shall be glad for them,
And the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose;
It shall blossom abundantly and rejoice,
Even with joy and singing.
The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it,
The excellence of Carmel and Sharon.
They shall see the glory of the Lord,
The excellency of our God.
Strengthen the weak hands,
And make firm the feeble knees.
Say to those who are fearful-hearted,
“Be strong, do not fear!
Behold, your God will come with vengeance,
With the recompense of God;
He will come and save you.”
Reading some commentary I learned that these verses are part of Isaiah’s prophecy of the coming of Christ. When I read these verses in that context I couldn’t help but think about Jesus’ discussion with the Samaritan woman at the well. “Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” John 4:10
What does that mean for us while we’re in dry arid seasons of our lives? The simple answer is, I’m not sure. The one thing that I can say for certain is that if we are born again believers God’s Holy Spirit is always with us. Maybe we just need to ask Him to “spring forth” in our lives during these times.
We should remember though that some of the largest trees in the world, the giant sequoia’s as well as other plants require the presence of fire to germinate. Walking in the desert requires a will to survive and for us to dig deep within for strength.
Maybe just maybe when we go through these seasons instead of God not being present He is actually stretching and growing us and germinating more areas of our lives that He want’s to see bloom and blossom within us later. Just as I opened with words from a song I want to close with some encouragement from it as well.
“I hear the rolling thunder
Feel the pouring rain
My heart is filled with wonder
Only You remain
I see a new horizon
Coming up my way”
“Sky Spills Over” – Michael W. Smith
Father God, sometimes we find it hard to see You working and sometimes we find it hard to even see You at all. We find ourselves wandering in a dry and arid season of our lives. Help us to remember that Your living water is a wellspring that is within us. Help us to be filled with Your Holy Spirit and minister to us through Your constant presence here with us. We just fall down on our knees and cry out to You for rain in our lives. As Elijah did we come to You and pray for rain. Soak these arid places in our lives and let them grow lush and blossom with fruit to share with others. Bless us each with a testimony of Your love and blessing. We pray these things in Christ’s name. AMEN!
This Narrow Path... 