Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Dry Seasons

So................. I was thinking about my blog the other morning and realizing that I hadn't written anything for awhile.  I then asked the Lord if He wanted me to continue on with it and would He some how just let me know.  Well,  about 2 1/2 seconds later the phone rings!  It's my friend Carole asking me if I'm still writing my blog and hoping that I haven't quit because she enjoys reading it.  God seemed so near ;~)
Have you had times when you don't feel God is near?  You seem to be doing all the right things~reading His word daily, praying,confessing sin,serving.  Yet you don't feel as close to the Lord and your heart isn't as tender towards Him.  I call these times~ dry seasons.  I believe it is God's grace that we don't always feel His nearness.  If we could always feel then we wouldn't be walking by faith. Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, evidence of things not seen.  Heb 11:1.   We all know that we can't trust our feelings because feelings come and go.  Feelings can be deceptive.  How many times would we just stay in bed because we didn't "feel" like getting up. 
Dry seasons can be a way of God wanting to cause more of a hunger and thirst for Him and His word.  Just like He did when the Israelites were in the wilderness.  God wanted His children to look for the manna everyday.  To look to Him to sustain them.  IT WAS A TIME OF TESTING.  A time to grow us spiritually.  When I realize in the midst of a dry season that this could be a time of testing it strangely gives me strength.  The dry seasons have a purpose.  Something good is happening, there is good in my future.  The Holy Spirit gives us that hope. (hope is something good will happen in the future)  I'm so thankful for times when my heart is tender and warm towards the Lord but also thankful for His grace when He sometimes doesn't allow me to feel His nearness.