God's Rain Restores and Confirms

Previously, we saw in vv 9-12 of Ps 68 in the Amplified Bible that weariness is cured when God sends rain that restores and confirms. He then releases the Word of power. We saw also that our part is to ask God for what we need and to wait on Him. Another way to put it would be that our assignment is to be in position to hear when God is ready to speak.

In the Meantime

But what do we do in the meantime, while we are wearily waiting on God to send the rain and the Word? A poet/preacher friend of mine used to say, “In the meantime, in the in-between time, don’t get mean.” And he was right. In some trials, we can count it a victory if we simply hold our position, not giving up past gains, not going back to old ways. If we do backslide, spending a lot of time agonizing over it does not help. (It’s hard to receive from God while throwing a pity party!) Once when I was in the midst of telling God how bad I had been, He spoke these two words: "Start over!" Oh! Could it really be that simple? Not always, but that time it was.

Recovering from Weariness

I was in a dry season where the spiritual disciplines I had depended on in the past weren’t working. I didn’t want to pray and I didn’t want to praise and forcing myself to try harder just made things worse. Burn out happens when we continue to do the same old things the same old way with no positive change. If you’ve gone off every morning for days, weeks, months, years to a job you didn’t like, you know what I mean. It’s not that we don’t exert ourselves or deny ourselves. Those things are required (2 Pet 1:5&6). But there is a balance to all things.

At first, nothing I tried helped my spiritiual weariness. But I knew I couldn’t give up. Gals. 6:7&8 shows us a Kingdom principle that we have to sow to the Spirit to reap from the Spirit. And I desperately needed to reap from the Spirit. Without His moving in my life, I would only sink lower. So what did I do? I decided to approach God in a new way. Although He appeared silent in this dry time, it seemed to me that the thing He most wanted was for me to simply come to him daily and honor Him (SS 2:10). It also seemed wise to ask for what I needed, to give thanks and to stay in His Word. (Ruth 2:12) I gave up trying to use any kind of format and I just presented myself before Him. I opened the book of Psalms and read out loud the phrases the psalmist used to praise God, since my own didn't seem to have any life in them. Sometimes I read from a relevant book. I practiced opening my heart to God and submitting what was there. I had earlier learned an important scripture that helped me do that. I’ll give it next post and share about how God put a new spring in my step.

Comments Are Welcome

Input is welcome. Now that I am familiar with the settings, I have taken the restrictions off the comments section. Now anyone can comment, not just registered blogspot users.

Thanks for stopping by! I am sharing what worked for me in a dry time. It isn't intended as a pattern to follow but as a testimony to encourage others. Faith is an individual thing. Someone else in my position could have petitioned the Lord and been led differently. Please use the comment section to share your own testimony.